Seoul - North Korea warned Tuesday that talks on ending its nuclear weapons programme would break down if the United Nations imposes sanctions on it for a rocket launch it plans next month.

The Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang would see such sanctions as "hostile activity" and "a breach" of a 2005 six-nation agreement in which North Korea promised to dismantle its nuclear programme in return for aid.

If the agreement is broken, there is "no grounds for the six-party talks to exist any more," a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by state-run media.

The six-nation talks involve North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. They have been stalled since last year.

The United States, South Korea, Japan and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have all warned North Korea against a launch it plans between April 4 to 8. Pyongyang has said it is to put a communications satellite into orbit, but Washington, Seoul and Japan fear the launch is a smokescreen to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea risks violating a 2006 UN resolution that prohibits it from conducting nuclear and missile tests, and South Korea said a launch would be taken before the UN Security Council. (dpa)