White House says North Korean threats are "needlessly provocative"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday denounced threats by North Korea to carry out further rocket launches and a nuclear test as "needlessly provocative," saying such actions would violate U.N. resolutions and increase Pyongyang's diplomatic isolation.

North Korea's top military body said "the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States," which it called Pyongyang's "sworn enemy."