BERLIN, Dec  19, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - World powers said Tuesday that the

international community needed a firm and unified response to North Korea's
"reckless" nuclear build-up and missile launches.

G7 foreign ministers said in a statement after the launch of Pyongyang's
most powerful ballistic missile that "North Korea's repeated reckless actions
must be met with a swift, united and robust international response,
particularly by the United Nations Security Council".

North Korea on Monday test-fired its most advanced intercontinental
ballistic missile with the potential to reach the United States.

North Korea said that its leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch and warned
Washington, which has solidified ties with South Korea, against making any
"wrong decision".

The Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to
halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since it first conducted a
nuclear test in 2006.

But China, North Korea's closest partner, and Russia -- which both wield
veto power at the Security Council -- have opposed a further tightening of
sanctions.

In the latest move to bolster three-way cooperation, Japan, South Korea and
the United States on Tuesday activated a system to share real-time data on
North Korean launches, which was agreed at a summit among the three countries'
leaders in August.

The United States also said that one of its envoys handling North Korea
spoke by telephone Tuesday with counterparts from Japan and South Korea and
agreed that the launch "undermined peace and stability in the region and the
world".

In a statement, the US State Department said that the allies sought "full
implementation" of Security Council resolutions and also urged a "return to
diplomatic engagement" by North Korea, which has shown little interest in talks
with US President Joe Biden's administration.