The latest North Korean missile test failed on Wednesday, with the rocket exploding “within seconds of launch,” according to the U.S. Pacific Command.

“South Korea and the US are aware of the missile launch and to their knowledge, North Korea’s missile was not successfully launched,” said South Korea’s Ministry of Defense about the North Korean missile test, in a statement relayed by CNN.

Reuters reports the launch was made from “near the city of Wonsan, on North Korea’s east coast, the same place from where it launched several intermediate-range missiles last year, all but one of which failed.”

A South Korean military official agreed with the U.S. assessment that the missile “may have exploded right after it took off from a launch pad.”

The Washington Post writes that American and South Korean military intelligence services are still analyzing the data they gathered about the launch and are not yet certain precisely what type of missile it was. North Korea tested a rocket engine that dictator Kim Jong-un described as technology of “historic significance” over the weekend, but it’s not clear if this failed test involved one of those engines. </s> A new North Korean missile test appeared to have ended in failure, according to South Korean and US officials.

The reported failed launch on Wednesday came during large-scale annual military drills involving US and South Korean forces that the North has called a rehearsal for an invasion.

Seoul's defence ministry said in a statement that Pyongyang fired one missile from an airbase in the eastern port of Wonsan but the launch was believed to have failed.



"We are in the process of analysing what type of missile it was," it added.

READ MORE: North Korea vows to pursue nuclear arms amid US threat

The statement came after Japan's Kyodo news service, citing an unidentified government source, said the North might have launched several missiles and that they were a failure.

A US military spokesman also said they had detected a failed North Korean missile launch attempt, with a missile exploding within seconds of its launch.

"US Pacific Command detected what we assess was a failed North Korean missile launch attempt ... in the vicinity of Kalma," Commander Dave Benham, a spokesman for US Pacific Command, said in a statement, referring to an airfield on North Korea's east coast.

"A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch," Benham said, adding that work was being carried out on a more detailed assessment.

The nuclear-armed North is under several sets of United Nations sanctions over its atomic and ballistic missile programmes.

Robert Kelley, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Pusan National University, said Pyongyang often conducts missile tests during the spring military drills carried out by South Korean and US troops.

"This is how the North Koreans send us a signal of displeasure," he told Al Jazeera. "That's what we assume, of course, since they don't tell us."

Earlier this month, the isolated country launched a flight of four ballistic missiles, with three landing close to Japan in what Pyongyang described as practice for attacks on US military bases in Japan.



On Sunday, the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, personally oversaw and hailed a "successful" test of what Pyongyang said was a new rocket engine - which can be easily repurposed for use in missiles.

Seoul said that experiment showed "meaningful progress" in the North's missile capabilities.

The engine test was apparently timed to coincide with a recent Asia trip by new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who warned that regional tensions had reached a "dangerous level".



Washington would drop the "failed" approach of "strategic patience" with Pyongyang, Tillerson said, warning that US military action was an "option on the table" if necessary - a sharp divergence from China's insistence on a diplomatic approach to its neighbour, which it has long protected.



This week the North's state news agency KCNA boasted that Tillerson had "admitted the failure" of US policy to denuclearise the nation.



Pyongyang insists that it needs nuclear weapons for self-defence against "hostile enemies" including the South. </s> North Korea's latest missile launch ended in failure on Wednesday as the United States sent a supersonic bomber streaking over ally South Korea in a show of force against the North, officials said.

The reported launch failure comes as the North angrily reacts to ongoing annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that landed in waters off Japan, triggering strong protests from Seoul and Tokyo.

The American military detected what it assessed as a failed North Korean missile launch on Wednesday morning, the U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement. It said the missile "appears to have exploded within seconds of launch."

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it also believes the launch from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan ended in failure. It said it was analyzing what type of missile was launched.

The failure might mean that the missile is a newly developed one the North has not deployed, according to South Korean media. Last year, the country suffered a series of embarrassing failed launches of its new medium-range Musudan missile before it successfully test-fired one.

Also Wednesday, a U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber and South Korean fighter jets conducted joint training exercises that displayed "strong deterrence against North Korean nuclear and missile threats," South Korea's Defense Ministry said. The U.S. military said the training was held after the bomber staged a similar exercise with Japanese fighter jets.

The United States often sends powerful warplanes in times of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are deployed in South Korea.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

American defense officials had said Tuesday that the U.S. military was expecting another North Korean missile launch in the next several days. The officials said the U.S. had increased its surveillance over the North and had detected a North Korean missile launcher being moved, as well as the construction of VIP seating in Wonsan.

On Sunday, the North claimed a major breakthrough in its rocket development program, saying it had conducted a ground test of a new type of high-thrust rocket engine. Washington, Seoul and others view the North's space program as a cover for its banned long-range missile development program. </s> SEOUL, South Korea - A North Korean medium-range missile exploded seconds after it was launched on Sunday, U.S. officials said, a high-profile failure that came hours before the U.S. vice president arrived in South Korea, and as an American aircraft supercarrier approaches the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.

The U.S. had good intelligence both before and after the launch, said a White House foreign policy adviser traveling with Vice President Mike Pence, who arrived in Seoul in the afternoon to start a 10-day trip to Asia.

No planned response is expected from the Trump administration because the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's initial understanding of the launch, said there was no need for the U.S. to reinforce the failure.

The official said that had it been a nuclear test, "other actions would have been taken by the U.S."

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests, including two last year. Recent satellite imagery suggests the country could conduct another underground nuclear test at any time.

The White House believes that Sunday's test involved a medium-range ballistic missile that failed within 4-5 seconds after launch, and that it did not involve an intercontinental ballistic missile, the foreign policy adviser said.

The North regularly launches short-range missiles, but is also developing mid-range and long-range missiles meant to target U.S. troops in Asia and, eventually, the U.S. mainland.

The failed launch will sting in Pyongyang because it came a day after one of the biggest North Korean propaganda events of the year— celebrations of the 105th birthday of late North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather.

President Donald Trump was uncharacteristically quiet about the failed launch, which was attempted from the east coast city of Sinpo. In a statement, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Trump and his military team "are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch. The president has no further comment."

Pence said North Korea's "provocation" was another reminder of the risks that U.S. and South Korean service members face every day "in the defense of the freedom of the people of South Korea and the defense of America in this part of the world."

The vice president said at a fellowship dinner at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul that the willingness of military members "to stand firm without fear inspires the nation and inspires the world."

North Korea's ultimate goal is to have a full array of nuclear-tipped missiles in response to what Pyongyang says is hostility by Washington and Seoul meant to topple its government. North Korea is thought to have a small arsenal of atomic bombs and an impressive array of short- and medium-range missiles.

Many outside analysts believe that North Korea has not yet mastered the technology to build warheads small enough to place on long-range missiles, though some civilian experts say it can already build nuclear-tipped shorter range missiles that have South Korea and Japan within its striking range.

The U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement that Sunday's missile exploded on launch. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it was analyzing exactly how the North Korean launch failed.

Always high animosity has risen on the Korean Peninsula in recent months, as the United States and South Korea conduct annual war games that North Korea claims are invasion preparation and the North prepared for Saturday's anniversary celebrations. A U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, is heading to waters off Korea in a show of force.

Analysts warn that even failed missile launches provide valuable knowledge to North Korea as it tries to build its weapons program. The country launched a long-range rocket and conducted the two nuclear tests last year, including its most powerful to date.

Aside from improving the technology, North Korean missile and nuclear tests are seen by outside analysts partly as efforts to bolster the domestic image of leader Kim Jong Un and apply political pressure on Seoul and Washington.

Kim has overseen three nuclear tests and a string of missile and rocket launches since taking over after the death of his father, dictator Kim Jong Il, in late 2011.

Another missile test from Sinpo failed earlier this month, when the rocket spun out of control and plunged into the ocean. That launch came shortly before Trump's first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. China is North Korea's only major ally.

The extended-range Scud missile in that earlier launch suffered an in-flight failure and fell into the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to U.S. imagery and assessments.

Despite Sunday's failure, the North's previous claim to have used "standardized" warheads has led to worries that it was making headway in its push to develop small and sophisticated warheads to be topped on long-range missiles.

Washington sees North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as a threat to world security and to its Asian allies, Japan and South Korea. The United States, South Korea and other countries have vowed to apply more pressure on the North, but so far nothing has worked to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for aid fell apart in early 2009. </s> North Korea attempted a missile launch Wednesday morning but it failed almost immediately, U.S. military officials and South Korea said.

“A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch,” U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham said in a statement. “We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment. We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.”

The launch comes a day after the North issued an ominous warning of a potential pre-emptive strike after a test over the weekend of a new advanced rocket engine.

“The world will soon witness what eventful significance the … recent ground jet test of Korean-style high-thrust engine will carry,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday via state-run news agency KCNA. “The nuclear force of [North Korea] is the treasured sword of justice and the most reliable war deterrence.”

South Korea also confirmed the failed launch and said it was analyzing what type of missile was fired, a South Korean military official confirmed to NBC News.

North Korea conducted two nuclear test explosions and 24 ballistic missile tests during 2016, and experts say it could have a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland within a few years.

Asked by NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell whether North Korea’s threat of pre-emptive military action represents a dangerous escalation, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson replied: “No comment today, thank you.” </s> SEOUL: A North Korean missile launch failed on Wednesday (Mar 22), with the rocket exploding within seconds, the US military said, the latest in a series of North Korean weapons tests to rattle its neighbours and raise tension in the region.

South Korea said the apparent test launch of one missile by nuclear-capable North Korea, from the city of Wonsan on its east coast, had failed. South Korea's defence ministry said it was conducting an analysis to determine more details.

The US military statement shed more light.

"US Pacific Command detected what we assess was a failed North Korean missile launch attempt ... in the vicinity of Kalma," Commander Dave Benham, a spokesman for US Pacific Command, said in the statement, referring to an air field in Wonsan.

"A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch," Benham said, adding that work was being carried out on a more detailed assessment.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile may have exploded as it was launched, before reaching an altitude at which it could be detected by South Korean radar.

The launch comes as the US envoy for North Korea nuclear programme, Joseph Yun, met his South Korean counterpart in Seoul to discuss a response to the North's weapons programmes.

Just last week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Japan, South Korea and China and how to handle North Korea was a major issue in his talks.

Speaking in Seoul on Friday, Tillerson said a policy of strategic patience with North Korea had ended and all options, including a military one, were on the table if North Korea threatened South Korean or US forces.

North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and a series of missile launches since the beginning of last year in defiance of U.N. resolutions. It is believed to be working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the United States.

The initial reports of North Korea's tests on Wednesday came from Japan's Kyodo news agency, which cited a Japanese government source saying North Korea may have launched several missiles from an area on its east coast. Kyodo also said the launch may have failed.

Last year, North Korea launched several intermediate-range missiles from the same area but only one of the tests was successful.

North Korea launched four ballistic missiles from near its west coast on Mar 6 and this week conducted a rocket engine test that its leader, Kim Jong Un, said opened "a new birth" of its rocket industry.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday criticized Kim, saying the North Korean leader was "acting very, very badly".

A senior US official in Washington told Reuters on Monday that the Trump administration was considering sweeping sanctions as part of a broad review of measures to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threat.

The United States is also deploying an advanced missile defence system in South Korea. But China objects to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, saying its powerful radar can penetrate deep into its territory, undermining its security.

Undaunted by the possibility of even tougher sanctions aimed at cutting North Korea off from the global financial system, a North Korean diplomat said his government would pursue an "acceleration" of its nuclear and missile programmes.

This includes developing a "pre-emptive first strike capability" and an inter-continental ballistic missile, said Choe Myong Nam, deputy ambassador at the DPRK (North Korean) mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

Japan's Nikkei index and South Korean stocks extended losses slightly after news of the North Korean launch broke but trade was steady overall. </s> South Korea says the latest missile launch test by North Korea has ended in a failure.

The reported failure Wednesday come as U.S. and South Korean troops were conducting annual military drills that the North calls an invasion rehearsal.

Seoul's Defense Ministry says that the South Korean and U.S. militaries said the launch was not conducted in a successful way.

It gave no further details, such as what type of missile was fired.

Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles on average, with three of them landing in waters off Japan.

Tillerson warns of possible military strike on North Korea

North Korean diplomat says Kim Jong Nam was killed by a heart attack, not a nerve agent </s> SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea tried but failed to fire an intermediate-range missile, U.S. and South Korean officials said Sunday.

It was the first attempted missile launch since the North conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test Sept. 9, prompting a wave of international condemnation and efforts to impose new sanctions against the isolated country.

The missile test also occurred hours before the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier docked in the southeastern port city of Busan on Sunday for what the Navy called a routine visit after a week of maritime war games with the South Korean navy.

North Korea watchers have predicted in recent weeks that Pyongyang was preparing for another provocation, with satellite images showing activity at its main nuclear testing facility as well as its Sohae satellite-launching station.

The Pentagon said U.S. Strategic Command systems detected the failed launch of a presumed Musudan missile near the northwestern city of Kusong on Saturday.

Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross strongly condemned the missile test and stressed the U.S. commitment to defending allies South Korea and Japan is “ironclad.”

“This provocation only serves to increase the international community’s resolve to counter the DPRK’s prohibited activities,” he said, using the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“We call on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region,” he added.

South Korea’s military said the missile failed immediately after launch, according to the Yonhap news agency. The Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned what it called an “illegal provocation” that violated U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting the North from using ballistic missile technology.

North Korea has carried out an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, and experts say it is showing clear technical progress in its nuclear weapons program despite numerous failures.

Only one of the Musudan missiles, which have a range that puts them in reach of U.S. bases in Japan and Guam, is believed to have flown far enough to be considered a success. But experts say the North’s scientists learn from each failure.

Pyongyang has conducted five underground nuclear tests since 2006 , including two this year — one in January and the other on Sept. 9 — causing tensions to rise on the divided peninsula.

The U.S. and South Korea regularly conduct joint military exercises, which they insist are defensive in nature. North Korea, however, considers them a rehearsal for an invasion. It denounced the participation of the USS Ronald Reagan — the Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier — in naval exercises this week.

The Navy flew a group of reporters out to the ship 150 to 175 miles southwest of Osan Air Base on Friday to show off the carrier’s striking power. Nine fighter jets took off and 15 made landings during a 30-minute demonstration of FA-18 Super Hornets, E-2C Hawkeyes and the EA-18G Growler.

U.S. officials said the Ronald Reagan’s arrival in Busan was a routine port call that would allow the 5,500 crew members to engage with their South Korean counterparts. But Navy commanders stressed they were ready to defend the peninsula.

“We remain dedicated to the security of this nation … and this region,” Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of Naval Forces Korea, said in remarks after the ship docked.

He said the carrier strike group was there “to send a clear signal of the strength of our alliance and our resolve to protect (South Korea) from unprovoked acts of aggression.” </s> The U.S. military said Saturday it had detected an unsuccessful launch by North Korea of a powerful medium-range missile capable of hitting American bases as far away as Guam.

U.N. resolutions prohibit North Korea from using ballistic missile technology, and this latest test came as the Security Council is debating fresh sanctions on Pyongyang following its fifth nuclear test in September.

The U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) said the launch, detected just after midday Saturday Korea time, was believed to be of a much-hyped Musudan missile which North Korea has now test-fired seven times — with one partial success.

Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross condemned what he called a clear violation of U.N. resolutions and urged Pyongyang to refrain from any further actions that might raise already elevated tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“This provocation only serves to increase the international community’s resolve to counter (North Korea’s) prohibited activities,” said Ross.

“We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation,” he added.

First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 km and 4,000 km.

The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include U.S. military bases on Guam.

After a string of five failed launches, North Korea test fired a Musudan in June that flew 400 km into the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

That test was hailed by leader Kim Jong Un as proof of the North’s ability to strike U.S. bases across “the Pacific operation theater.”

Saturday’s failed launch was detected at 12:03 Pyongyang time Saturday from the northwestern North Korean town of Kusong.

Such launches are usually reported within hours or even minutes by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, and it was unclear why Sunday’s USSTRATCOM announcement came so long after the event.

There was no immediate confirmation from the South Korean side.

U.S. weapons analysts say successful Musudan testing could help the nuclear-armed North develop an operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the US mainland by 2020.

The North has publicly displayed an ICBM, called the KN-08, that uses the same engine technology as the Musudan but has never been test-fired.

The North Korean state media made no mention of Saturday’s attempted launch, but the official KCNA news agency carried a Foreign Ministry statement warning that the United States would “pay a high price” for recent hostile behavior that had “hurt the dignity of the supreme leadership.”

President Barack Obama “will come to understand the meaning of the price before he leaves the White House,” a ministry spokesman said.

There has been widespread speculation — backed by satellite imagery showing activity at key military installations — that the North is preparing for a sixth nuclear test or a long-range rocket launch — or possibly both.

The latest Musudan test was the first since Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy a sophisticated U.S. anti-missile system on South Korean soil to curb the North’s growing nuclear weapons threat.

Pyongyang has threatened to take “physical action” against the new system, which has also been condemned by the North’s patron, China, as a U.S. bid to flex its military muscle in the region.
According to South Korean and United States officials, a missile test in North Korea ends in failure, with the missile exploding seconds after launch.