US Asks UN Security Council To Hold Closed-door Meeting To Discuss North Korea's Missile Test Tomorrow

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a hypersonic missile test launch. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - The United States, backed by Britain and France, asked the United Nations Security Council to meet behind closed doors Thursday on North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, diplomats said on Tuesday.

North Korea confirmed on Monday it had launched a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile, the same weapon that once threatened to target the US territory of Guam, sparking fears the nuclear-armed nation could resume long-range testing.

The launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile was first reported by South Korean and Japanese authorities on Sunday. It was the seventh test carried out by North Korea last month. And, it is the first time a nuclear-capable missile of such magnitude has been launched since 2017.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the launch, urging Pyongyang "to stop taking further counter-productive actions," a UN spokesman said.

"This violates the moratorium that the DPRK announced in 2018 on launches of this kind, and is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions," said deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq, using the official name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"It is deeply concerning that the DPRK has once again neglected consideration for international aviation or maritime safety," Haq added in a statement.

To note, since 2006 North Korea has been subject to UN sanctions, which the Security Council has strengthened over the years in an effort to target funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Meanwhile, China and Russia last month suspended US efforts to impose UN sanctions on five North Koreans, diplomats said.