North Korea claims to have tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile

North Korea says on Tuesday it successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that is the "final step" in making the country a "confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on Earth."

U.S., Japanese, and South Korean officials said the missile was launched at a high trajectory from close to an airfield northwest of Pyongyang, traveling 580 miles and reaching an altitude of 1,500 miles with a flight time of 40 minutes. It landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, and experts said such a missile could be capable of reaching Alaska. North Korea has said it wants to have a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the U.S. mainland.

North Korea has been banned by the U.N. Security Council from engaging in ballistic activities, and is one of the most sanctioned countries on Earth. The launch comes ahead of the G-20 summit in Germany, where world leaders will discuss ways to deal with North Korea and its weapons program. China has called on North Korea to "stop taking actions that violate United Nations Security Council resolutions."

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