The United States Tuesday called on the United Nations to respond strongly to North Korea's provocations, dismissing the North's threat to take military action in the event of any U.N. condemnation for the sinking of a South Korean warship, Yonhap News reported in Washsington.

"What is important for North Korea is to take stock of these provocative actions, cease this belligerent behavior," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.

"We are looking for the U.N. and the international community to come together and make a strong response to that provocation. What we need from North Korea is first of all accountability. And secondly we need behavior that we think is more consistent with a responsible state."

Crowley was responding to remarks by North Korea's U.N. envoy, Sin Son-ho, earlier in the day that the North Korean military will take action if the U.N. Security Council condemns the North with a resolution or a presidential statement for the sinking of the Cheonan. The disaster in the Yellow Sea in March killed 46 sailors.

The 15-member Security Council heard explanations from both Koreas Monday as South Korea pressed for condemnation of the North, which an international team of investigators blamed for the sinking.

At a news conference at U.N. headquarters, the North Korean diplomat dismissed the probe outcome as "some kind of fiction" and a "complete fabrication."

"If the Security Council releases any documents against us, condemning or questioning us in any document, then myself, as a diplomat, I can do nothing, but the follow-up measures will be carried out by our military forces," Sin said.

He called on South Korea to accept a North Korean inspection team to clarify the investigation outcome, and denounced the Lee Myung-bak government for faking the incident for political gains in the provincial elections earlier this month. He also faulted the Obama administration for influencing Japan to scrap its plans to move a U.S. Marine base out of Okinawa.

Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, the council's rotating president, Monday called on both Koreas to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that might escalate tensions.

China, the North's staunchest communist ally, has yet to blame the North for the sinking. There are concerns that the veto-wielding council member will not approve even a council presidential statement condemning Pyongyang, let alone a resolution carrying further sanctions.

South Korean officials have said they are seeking a stern warning to North Korea as a hedge against another such provocation, rather than additional sanctions. Pyongyang is already under sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests.

Crowley dismissed Sin's assertions, saying, "There was an exhaustive investigation. The investigation we think proved without a reasonable doubt that the only country responsible for that act was North Korea."

The spokesman said that Washington will continue implementing sanctions on North Korea under U.N. resolutions.

"We're going to continue doing what we have been doing for the past year, which is vigorously enforcing Resolution 1874," he said. "We continue to look at ways in which we can affect North Korea's thinking. It's not only the institutions, the revenue stream that goes into the government. We continue to look at ways in which we can send a strong signal to North Korea that there's no reward for this string of provocative actions."

He said the U.S. wants to "see North Korea change its course," adding, "North Korea cannot expect us to continue a business-as-usual approach when they go about sinking the Cheonan."