North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the missile test on Thursday, in this photo provided Friday by the North Korean government. AP-Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

South Korea and the United States will not seek extra sanctions on North Korea despite Pyongyang test-firing two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday, an aide to President Moon said Friday.

"Despite the North's latest provocations, the United States and South Korea will keep their 'strategic ambiguity' on the matter by downplaying the firing's significance, refusing to call the launches a violation of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions that ban Pyongyang from taking part in ballistic missile activities," the aide told The Korea Times.

The aide said Washington and Seoul understood the firings were aimed at achieving "some strategic and political gains" but they did not violate North Korea's repeated promise to stop testing nuclear weapons or long-range ballistic missiles.

"More broadly, but specifically, the United States and South Korea are hoping to avoid a sudden confrontation with the North because the allies believe keeping the silence will help them narrow the gap between Washington and Pyongyang's positions on denuclearization," the aide said.

Downplaying the significance of Thursday's missile tests would be a "smarter way" for the U.S. and South Korea to keep the talks going. However, for North Korea, it is a chance to further upgrade and improve weapons that already threaten U.S. troops and allies in Northeast Asia.