‘Urgent’ Security Council Meet After North Korea Tests Missile

This was North Korea’s second missile test in a week which, South Korea said, dashed hopes of peace.

North Korea has confirmed details of its latest missile launch.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Monday morning that the military had tested a medium-to-long range ballistic missile called the Pukguksong-2.

KCNA said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the launch and watched from an observation post.

South Korea and the US earlier described Sunday's missile as medium-range. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it flew eastward about 500 kilometres, or 310 miles.

KCNA said the purpose of the test was to verify technical indexes of the weapon system and examine its adaptability under various battle conditions before deployment to military units for action.

US, Japan, S Korea Call For ‘Urgent’ Security Council Meet

The US, Japan and South Korea have called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to be held on Tuesday – to discuss North Korea's missile test on Sunday, diplomatic officials said. The Council is due to meet behind closed doors to discuss North Korea's latest missile test.

This was North Korea’s second missile test in a week, which South Korea said dashed hopes of the South's new liberal government for peace between the neighbours.

Diplomatic officials did not say what the agenda was for the Tuesday Security Council meeting, but on earlier such occasions, the body has ended its deliberations with a unanimous condemnation of Pyongyang's challenges to the international community.

The repeated tests of weapons of mass destruction by Pyongyang have caused Washington to toughen its rhetoric since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, whose administration has suggested the possibility of staging a preemptive attack on North Korea, substantially increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The United Nations Security Council first imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2006 and has strengthened the measures in response to its five nuclear tests and two long-range rocket launches. Pyongyang is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

Meanwhile, North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency said that the latest missile test was a "success," adding that Pyongyang's leader, Kim Jong-un, observed the test.

(With inputs from media agencies.)