UN Security Council to discuss North Korea's missile tests

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Tuesday behind closed doors to discuss North Korea’s latest missile test.

The meeting diplomats says is at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea.

This comes after both South Korea and Japan raised concerns following reports that North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile from its northwestern coast on Sunday.

South Korea’s military announced that its neighbours in the north had fired an “unidentified projectile” from a location near Pukchang.

Seoul later specified that a missile had been launched.

It’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-Hyuck told the press: “North Korea today fired a ballistic missile again. North Korea’s repeated provocative action went against our government and international community’s expectation and desire to establish peace and denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula …”

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also indicated that he will bring up the issue of Pyongyang’s missile tests at the next G7 Summit.

“There will be a G7 meeting this week. I intend to make this a main issue there and properly debate it. And I want to see the G7 deliver a clear message (to North Korea).
It is important to coordinate with not only South Korea and the United States but also with China and Russia,” the Japanese premier said.

The projectile, which is said to have had a range of around 500km, reportedly landed east of North Korea, outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.