The U.S. has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday after North Korea tested what appears to have been a liquid-fuel engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The U.S. has been looking the other way when the North test-fired short-range missiles in recent months and refused to comply with calls by the U.K., France and Germany to convene a UN Security Council meeting. But it considers its mainland under threat from North Korean long-range missiles and has suddenly realized the urgency of the matter.

The U.S. requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the potential launch of an ICBM by the North. European members of the UN Security Council sought to convene the meeting on Tuesday, but the U.S. wanted a day later.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department told the Chosun Ilbo that it has asked for its UN representative to be present at the meeting that will discuss "the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula," which "include the North's latest missile launches and potential escalation in provocations."

North Korea said Saturday that it conducted a "very important test" at a test site for intercontinental ballistic missiles in Tongchang-ri near the Chinese border.

South Korean Ambassador to the UN Cho Hyun will also attend the meeting.