U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has hinted that the United States is willing to take "strong action" against North Korea's provocations.

Sherman issued the position on Wednesday in a House Foreign Services Committee hearing when asked about the U.S.' responses to the North's series of missile launches.

The senior U.S. official said that North Korea conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile launches this year, with the latest one believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. She added more tests are expected to come.

Sherman said the delegation sent to the U.S. by South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol is engaging in discussions with U.S. officials that are largely focused on responses to North Korea.

She continued that these discussions are to ensure that the U.S. responds strongly to let the North know that it cannot persist on its current course without any consequences, taking strong action that shows it has a "credible deterrence" against any attack by North Korea. 

The deputy secretary also stressed the role of China in efforts to denuclearize North Korea. She added that U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim will visit South Korea soon for consultations with his South Korean and Japanese partners.