Obama, Abe, Park Back U.N. Resolution on N.Korea

President Barack Obama spoke to two key Asian allies late Monday, garnering support for strong action against North Korea in response to recent nuclear and missile tests.

The White House said Obama had spoken to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye to weigh the next steps, including a U.N. Security Council resolution that would bring new sanctions.

Abe, Obama and Park agreed on the need for a "strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a robust U.N. Security Council Resolution," according to the White House.

The Security Council condemned North Korea's rocket launch on Sunday and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions that will punish Pyongyang for "these dangerous and serious violations."

The launch came weeks after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test.

Beijing has in the past proved reluctant to support biting multilateral sanctions against North Korea, for fear of destabilizing a regime on China's border.

The White House has said it could introduce unilateral sanctions if necessary, but admits that room to punish the already heavily sanctioned nation is limited.

The U.S. military has also said it wants to send a sophisticated missile defense system to South Korea as quickly as possible.