UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the latest launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile by North Korea as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Guterres said in a statement released by his spokesperson on Tuesday that it is of great concern that North Korea has disregarded any consideration for international flight or maritime safety.

He also urged the North to desist from taking any further counter-productive actions and called for all parties to seek a peaceful diplomatic solution.

North Korea confirmed the test-firing of the Hwasong-12 type missile on Sunday -- the latest in a series of its missile launches over the month and the first to draw the UN chief's condemnation this year.

The UN Security Council held emergency meetings on January 10 and 20 to discuss how to respond to the launches by the North.

But they failed to reach an agreement as China and Russia took a different position from Western nations.