United States President Donald Trump on Monday called for United Nations Security Council sanctions against the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes of North Korea, terming it as a very big problem.

"The status quo on North Korea is unacceptable. The (UN Security) Council must be prepared to impose additional sanctions on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programme," Trump told ambassadors of countries on the UN Security Council during a working luncheon in the White House.

North Korea, he said, 'is real threat' to the world.

"It is a big world problem," he added.

Noting that it has been left unattended for a long time, Trump said it is time to resolve the North Korean problem.

"It is now time to solve the problem," he said. -- PTI