LONDON (REUTERS) - Britain has summoned North Korea's ambassador to express its condemnation of the country's weekend ballistic missile launch, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday (Feb 14).

North Korea said on Tuesday its missile launches were"self-defence measures", rejecting UN Security Council criticism of the test.

The United States has demanded international action against Pyongyang's weapons programmes.

"We urge North Korea to stop its provocative actions, which threaten international peace and security, and instead re-engage with the international community, and take credible, concrete steps to prioritise the wellbeing of its own people instead of the nuclear and ballistic missile programmes," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said in a statement.

"The ambassador was asked to convey this message to Pyongyang in the strongest possible terms," she added.