UNITED NATIONS — North Korea warned on Monday it would not "sit idle" if any attempt is made at the UN Security Council to raise the subject of its "self-defensive measures," an apparent reference to its recent missile tests.

Three European countries - Britain, France and Germany - called for a closed door Security Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss North Korea's test last week of a sea-launched missile, saying it was a "serious violation" of UN resolutions.

North Korea's ambassador to the UN, Kim Song, said that raising the issue "will further urge our desire to defend our sovereignty".

The warning came two days after North Korea broke off nuclear talks with the US in Sweden.

Those talks followed a months-long stalemate in the wake of an unsuccessful February meeting in Hà Nội between the North's Leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

The North Korean diplomat urged the three European countries to consider the timing of their move, adding they should "know that we can never sit idle on the attempt of taking issue of our self-defensive measures".

North Korea is under three sets of UN economic sanctions, the most severe of which was imposed in 2017 following a nuclear test and a long-range missile test.

Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006, the last one on September 3, 2017. — AFP