"We can only express our regret at the decision of North Korea and urge it not to halt six-party talks on the nuclear problem in the Korean Peninsula," the official said.
The UN Security Council on Monday issued a unanimous statement condemning North Korea's April 5 rocket launch, which many countries suspect was a test of a long-range missile.
Following the announcement by the UN, North Korea said it would pull out of the six-party international talks and restart its nuclear program. The Korean Central News Agency citing a foreign ministry statement said: "There is no need for the six-party (nuclear disarmament) talks any more."
U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the Security Council statement.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "The president welcomes today's clear and united message by the United Nations Security Council condemning North Korea's recent launch of a Taepodong-2 missile, confirming that it violates international law and would result in real consequences for North Korea."
"The United States will continue working with our allies and partners in the six-party talks to achieve the verifiable elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program and the reduction of tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Gibbs said.
The 15-member Security Council convened for an emergency meeting late on Sunday at Japan's request, to discuss sanctions against Pyongyang over the rocket launch, but strong opposition from Russia and China prevented the adoption of even a preliminary statement of condemnation.
North Korea claimed the rocket, which was launched over Japan, successfully delivered a communications satellite into orbit, but the U.S. and South Korean militaries said all three stages fell into the ocean and that "no object entered orbit."
The U.S. and other countries had argued for sanctions against Pyongyang, saying that the launch violated Security Council Resolution 1718, which was passed after North Korea's 2006 nuclear test, but Russia and China called for restraint on the grounds that the resolution does not prohibit the launch of satellites.
