North Korea's long-range missile test represents a "new threat to the world" forcing an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday and threatening to overshadow this week's G20 meeting of world leaders.

In a day of heightened activity following the North's first successful test of a missile, which could reach Alaska or Hawaii, the US and South Korea responded by firing ballistic missiles of their own into waters to the east of the peninsula. The US and China bickered over the best way to deal with Pyongyang and its enhanced military capability.