South Korea has revealed that it is suspending operations at an industrial complex in North Korea after the latter recently conducted a rocket launch in Pyongyang.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex, situated in North Korea, was launched back in 2004 as a way to create a common ground between the two countries, according to CNN.

The suspension will halt North Korea's attempts to use hard currency earned there in order to create both nuclear and missile technology, South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said at a news conference, The Chicago Tribune reported.

"It appears that such funds have not been used to pave the way to peace as the international community had hoped, but rather to upgrade its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles," he said.

Meanwhile, Japan has also imposed sanctions on North Korea after the missile launch, which includes a ban on vessels in North Korea going into Japan's ports and on vessels coming from other countries that have stepped into the isolated nation, according to BBC News.