North Korea will face a "strong response" if it goes ahead with a plan to launch a long-range rocket next month, a special adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday, calling the North's planned liftoff a "big mistake."

"If they go ahead anyway, we will want to work with our allies and partners for a strong response," Gary Samore, coordinator for arms control at the U.S. National Security Council, told Yonhap News Agency in an exclusive interview.

On the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul next week, Obama will hold a series of bilateral summits with other leaders, including South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao, to keep up pressure on North Korea, Samore said.

While the nuclear summit is primarily aimed at preventing loose nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists, the North's planned rocket launch will be a hot topic outside the gathering.

"We have urged North Korea not to proceed with the announced satellite launch," Samore said. "We will be working with other countries, when President Obama is here, to try to discourage North Korea from going ahead with the proposed satellite launch."

Asked about the possibility North Korea will be referred to the U.N. Security Council if it launches a rocket, Samore replied, "Then, we will work with our friends to figure out what the most appropriate response will be."

Last week, North Korea announced its plan to launch a satellite aboard a long-range rocket in mid-April, drawing international condemnation. South Korea, the U.S. and others view the North's plan as a cover for testing delivery systems for nuclear missiles.

The North's announcement appears to break a Feb. 29 deal with the U.S. that calls on Pyongyang to suspend its uranium enrichment and nuclear and missile tests in return for 240,000 tons of U.S. food aid.

The announcement and subsequent tension it created is a possible diplomatic gamble from the North for more concessions from the U.S., analysts said. It is seen as the first such move generated by North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un, who inherited power in December following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.

U.S. officials have previously said such a launch would be a "deal-breaker."

Samore said understanding why the North announced its launch plan is difficult.

"I really can't speculate on why they are doing it, but we think it is a big mistake and we are trying to persuade them" not to proceed with the rocket launch, he said.

North Korea said the planned launch will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founder and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap News)