U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that the U.S. would seek appropriate action against North Korea if it carries out a long-range rocket launch.

After talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba on Tuesday in Washington, Clinton told reporters that if Pyongyang wants a peaceful and better future for its people, it should not launch the rocket and threaten regional security.

Clinton said the launch would be in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions, adding the U.S. is closely discussing the matter with other countries at the United Nations.

The Japanese foreign minister said the launch would impair the U.S.'s recent efforts to resume dialogue, stressing that Japan, the U.S., South Korea, China and Russia should closely cooperate to that end to block the launch.