Members of the U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches as the group held an emergency meeting Wednesday but stopped short of adopting a formal statement, the U.S., Japan and South Korean ambassadors said.

"What we heard was ... encouraging, strong condemnations across the board from individual member states. So we have every reason to believe that the council will be able to come together in a swift and united way to condemn this, again, just the latest launches," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters.

Power did not elaborate, but permanent council members China and Russia could have expressed reservations about adopting a statement. There has been concern that Beijing and Moscow could refuse to render full cooperation over North Korea in anger over a decision by the United States and South Korea to deploy the THAAD missile defense system.

North Korea fired two Rodong intermediate-range ballistic missiles early Wednesday. One of them exploded right after launch, but the other flew some 1,000 kilometers and fell in waters off Japan in the country's exclusive economic zone.

Such launches represent a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the North from any activity using ballistic missile technology over concern that it can be used to develop long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

"This year alone, North Korea ... conducted 13 rounds of ballistic missile tests, and they test-fired altogether 29 missiles of a variety of types, ranges and trajectories, including intermediate-range missiles, short-range missiles, using mobile launchers, using submarine launching technology," South Korean Ambassador Oh Joon said.

"Obviously by now, what they're doing is not just separate, random missile tests. I think they are doing all of this with a systematic, comprehensive purpose of upgrading and refining their missile technologies, which is not only a grave challenge to the global nonproliferation system but also poses a clear, present danger to the security of all countries in the region," he said.

Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho condemned the launches.

"I stressed that this is a totally unacceptable action on the part of DPRK. The missile launched landed within Japan's EEZ. There was no warning whatsoever. We see it as a grave violation of certainly the resolutions of the Security Council," he said.

"It landed in the EEZ. That is the first time it has happened.

This is a new step in their development of nuclear and missile capabilities. So in the council, I stressed the importance and gravity of this launch and asked for my colleagues to be united in showing a will of the Security Council," he said.

The envoy said he wants to see a council statement as early as possible.

Earlier in the day, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the U.N. is "deeply troubled" by the launches.

"We are once again deeply troubled by the latest test-firing of missiles by the Democratic (People's) Republic of Korea, one of which reportedly landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone. Such actions seriously undermine regional peace and stability," he said.

"We reiterate the call on the DPRK to heed the united call of the international community to reverse its course and return to the process of sincere dialogue." (Yonhap)