09 February 2016•Update: 12 February 2016
WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama spoke separately with the leaders of South Korea and Japan about a recent North Korean ballistic missile launch, the White House said Tuesday.
Obama gave assurances to Park Geun-hye and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe that the U.S. stood in solidarity with Korea and Japan and would take necessary steps to fulfill commitments to defend its allies in the region.
All three condemned the launch, and agreed it represented "yet another destabilizing and provocative action by North Korea in flagrant violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions," the White House said.
During the calls Monday night, the leaders underscored the importance of a "strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a robust UN Security Council resolution".
North Korea announced Sunday that it successfully launched a satellite into orbit. The rocket was fired a day after it emerged that Pyongyang had moved up the launch window -- having initially told a United Nations maritime agency that the earliest date would be Feb. 8.
North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from pursuing ballistic missile technology.
The ability to send a satellite into orbit could in theory pose a danger to distant nations like the U.S., which Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened with an attack in the past.
The North also ignored the international community when it conducted a nuclear test at the start of the year.
