A Japanese daily says the United States is considering "other options" with North Korea's refusal to return to the stalled six-party talks.

The Sankei Shimbun on Monday quoted a high-ranking U-S official as saying the United States may refer the matter to the U-N Security Council, ask China to further pressure the North and strengthen the proliferation security initiative worldwide.

The official, however, stressed that the United States still favors multilateral negotiations to resolve the issue and has not completely abandoned the six-party talks.