US requests urgent UN Security Council meeting on missile launch

The United States has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after North Korea declared that it had successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the US mission said.

Pedestrians walk past a TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Tokyo 04 July 2017. Source: EPA

The meeting is expected to take place on Wednesday around 3pm local time.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw the launch of the Hwasong-14 missile which experts say is capable of reaching Alaska.

North Korea's Academy of Defence Science said it reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometers (1,741 miles) and flew 933 kilometers.

US Pacific Command confirmed the test and said it was a land-based, intermediate-range missile that flew for 37 minutes before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. It said the launch did not pose a threat to North America.

The launch came as Americans prepared to mark Independence Day, prompting President Donald Trump to urge China to act to "end this nonsense once and for all."

US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday spoke by phone with China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi, who holds the council presidency this month, to convey the US request for an urgent meeting.