Senior diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea have strongly condemned North Korea's latest launch of a projectile in their talks on the phone.

Namazu Hiroyuki, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, spoke with US Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, Jung Pak, and South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, Kim Gunn.

They said the launch clearly violated United Nations Security Council resolutions even if it was aimed at launching a satellite.

The diplomats said it poses a grave and imminent threat to regional security and a serious challenge to the international community, and confirmed that their countries will continue to work together closely.