North Korea says its missile tests this week were successful, and says it will carry out more launches.
In its first statement on Wednesday's tests, the North Korean Foreign Ministry also threatened to use force against any country that pressures it against carrying out missile tests. It says the launches helped increase the country's defense capability.
The missile tests drew international condemnation. A spokesman in Seoul says South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun discussed the situation by telephone with President Bush, calling the launches a serious provocation.
Mr. Bush also discussed the matter with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the two agreed to push for U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is warning against the threat of sanctions, saying they would be counter-productive.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says its top negotiator on the North Korean nuclear standoff (Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei) is going to Pyongyang next week.
South Korea's Unification Minister (Lee Jong-seok) says Seoul plans to keep inter-Korean projects intact, despite the missile launches.
The top U.S. envoy to the North Korean nuclear talks, (Assistant Secretary of State) Christopher Hill, arrives in Asia today for talks in Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Japan is circulating a draft resolution for the U.N. Security Council calling for a ban on the transfer of any funds, material or technology that could be used in North Korea's missile program.