U.N. chief urges North Korea not to use ballistic technology

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging North Korea not to use ballistic missile technology, which is banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions, a U.N. spokesman said on Wednesday. "The secretary-general believes it is important for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to refrain from using ballistic missile technology," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. Pyongyang notified U.N. agencies on Tuesday of its plan to launch what it called an "earth observation satellite" some time between Feb. 8 and 25, a move that could advance the country's long-range missile technology after its fourth nuclear test last month. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols)