Tillerson to chair UN Security Council meeting on North Korea today

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will today hold a ministerial briefing to address North Korea's nuclear program and missile launches at the request of the US mission to the UN.

The meeting will be chaired by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and is expected to be attended by ministers and officials from nine other nations including Russia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Sweden and Italy, reports Sputnik news agency.

Members of the Council will hear a briefing by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Tillerson on Friday afternoon.

The North Korean mission to the UN issued a statement in response calling possible UN sanctions against Pyongyang illegal, and stressing that North Korea is prepared "to go to the end" if the United States does not change its policy in the region.

This comes as tensions surrounding North Korea's military activities have escalated in recent months after Pyongyang conducted a number of nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.

In the most recent show of force, Pyongyang put its military might on display during a parade on April 15 marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founder Kim II Sung.