The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon over North Korea's latest missile launch at the request of Japan and the United States, diplomats said.

The planned meeting in New York comes as Washington and Tokyo agreed to step up pressure on Pyongyang after the nuclear-armed North fired a ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.

The launch respresents a major escalation as tensions spike over the North's weapons ambitions.

source: AFP