Story highlights The US says it strongly condemns the missile test

It has urged Pyongyang to refrain from provocation in the region

(CNN) US Strategic Command systems detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch Saturday evening near the northwestern city of Kusong, the Pentagon said.

"We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology," Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross said in a statement.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

Washington called on Pyongyang to "refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region," Ross said.

"This provocation only serves to increase the international community's resolve to counter the DPRK's prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions," he said. "Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad."