The top diplomats from China, South Korea and Japan, who met in Ningbo, China for trilateral talks over the weekend, have decided it would be inevitable to turn to UN Security Council resolutions should North Korea choose to launch a long range rocket.

A South Korean government official said on Sunday the three foreign ministers agreed the rocket launch would violate UN resolutions and that North Korea be urged to rethink its launch plans while appropriate responses be negotiated.

The three countries agreed to take additional action in the short time left before the North launches its missile.

South Korean foreign minister Kim Sung-hwan said during the joint press conference that it would be clear North Korea was willing to adhere to the February agreement it made with Washington if it reconsidered its launch plan.

The three parties did not issue a joint statement on differences in opinion.