US, allies seek UN action if North Korea fires rocket

WASHINGTON (AP) - The US and key Asian allies have agreed to seek UN Security Council action if North Korea launches a long-range rocket this month, the State Department said on Wednesday.

Pyongyang plans the launch between Dec 10 and 22 in defiance of a UN ban. Washington sees such launches as veiled tests of missiles designed to strike the United States. North Korea says it is trying to put a communications satellite into orbit.

US envoy for North Korea policy Glyn Davies met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Washington on Tuesday.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said they were calling for the North to comply with its international obligations and refrain from a launch using ballistic missile technology - although he conceded there was no sign Pyongyang was willing to listen.