Britain and France say they're pressing for strong condemnation by the UN Security Council of North Korea's latest missile launches - and possibly even more sanctions.
Britain's deputy UN ambassador Peter Wilson said Wednesday's test marked the first time a missile landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, which extends 370 kilometres from shore.
"Our objective in this meeting is to draw attention to that fact, but also to come together to very, very clearly condemn it," Wilson said as he headed into an emergency council meeting called by the United States, Japan and South Korea.
South Korean and Japanese officials said a medium-range ballistic missile fired Wednesday on flew about 1,000 kilometres and landed near Japan's territorial waters, one of the longest flights by a North Korean missile.
The US Strategic Command said initial indications were that a second missile exploded immediately after launch.
France's deputy UN ambassador Alexis Lamek said the tests violated not only council resolutions but international treaties against proliferation of ballistic missiles and threatened international peace and security.
"When it comes to threats of proliferation, weakness is not an option," Lamek said. "That's why we're going to push in favour of a strong, firm and quick response by the Security Council."
Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho said he wants to make clear to the council that "shooting a missile at us - it fell short, but it is a major threat to our national security".
The Security Council was being briefed behind closed doors by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun.
In March, the council adopted its fifth and most severe sanctions resolution against North Korea in response to a January 6 nuclear test and a February 7 satellite launch.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States continues to be concerned about North Korea's behaviour and considers it critical to work with the international community, including China and Russia, to urge the North Korean government to stop the launches.
"The United States continues to believe that our response to North Korea's destabilising activities is stronger when the international community remains united," Earnest said.
The two ballistic missile launches on Wednesday were the third since the United States and South Korea announced plans on July 8 to deploy an advanced missile defence system in South Korea by the end of next year - a move Pyongyang has denounced.
The council has condemned six other launches in April, May and June.
The Security Council has not responded to a July 9 failed attempt by a North Korean submarine to launch a ballistic missile and the July 19 launch of two short-range Scud missiles and a Rodong intermediate-range missile.
UN diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private, said attempts to condemn the launches have been held up by China.
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