The United Nations Security Council(UNSC) came short of adopting a statement condemning North Korea's recent missile tests.

At an emergency video conference on Tuesday, some countries on the 15-member council reportedly expressed concern about Pyongyang's latest actions, while China and Russia reiterated their call for easing sanctions on the North.

NHK said China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun voiced displeasure about the launches and urged the North to refrain from provocative actions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Six European nations -- the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland and Estonia -- issued a joint statement after the meeting, condemning Pyongyang's repeated missile launches in violation of UNSC resolutions.

They also urged the North "to engage in good faith in meaningful negotiations with the United States aimed at denuclearization" and to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a "complete, verifiable and irreversible manner."

North Korea has launched missiles on 17 occasions since May 2019, including four last month, with the latest on March 29.