The U.S. military detected a failed North Korean test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile near the northwestern city of Kusong, the Pentagon said on Saturday.

"We strongly condemn this and North Korea’s other recent missile tests," said U.S. Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. "We intend to raise our concerns at the UN to bolster international resolve in holding the DPRK accountable for these actions."

Ross said the U.S. commitment to the defense of its allies in the region, including South Korea and Japan, was "iron-clad" in the face of such North Korean actions. The Pentagon said the missile launch did not pose a threat to North America. </s> US detects what it says is failed North Korean missile launch

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military says it's detected what's being described as a failed missile launch by North Korea.

A military statement says the launch occurred near the northwestern city of Kusong and that the missile is presumed to be a Musadan intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The military says launch was attempted at 11:33 p.m. EDT Friday (12:03 p.m. Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defense officials have said the North doesn't yet have such a weapon.

In August, Japanese and South Korean officials said a medium-range ballistic missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters. </s> Story highlights The US says it strongly condemns the missile test

It has urged Pyongyang to refrain from provocation in the region

(CNN) US Strategic Command systems detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch Saturday evening near the northwestern city of Kusong, the Pentagon said.

"We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology," Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross said in a statement.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

Washington called on Pyongyang to "refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region," Ross said.

"This provocation only serves to increase the international community's resolve to counter the DPRK's prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions," he said. "Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad." </s> TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's top government spokesman said on Thursday Tokyo condemns North Korea's failed missile launch and is lodging a stern protest against Pyongyang for the action.

His comment comes after U.S. Strategic Command said a failed attempt by North Korea to launch a missile was detected at 2200 GMT on Wednesday from the northwestern city of Kusong, adding it was presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile.

"The Japanese government is protesting to North Korea through our embassy in Beijing, while condemning it strongly," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference.

North Korea, which conducted its fifth nuclear blast on Sept. 9, is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. </s> North Korea said in its first statement since launching missiles on Monday the tests were part of training for potential strikes against U.S. bases in Japan.Pyongyang’s state-controlled news agency KCNA said Tuesday “Comrade Kim Jong Un had provided field guidance to the Hwasong artillery unit of the Korean People’s Army.”KCNA also stated the Hwasong unit were part of the training because it is “tasked with striking the U.S. imperial troops based in Japan, in the case of an emergency.”The missiles were fired the minute Kim Jong Un “issued his order, at which moment ballistic rockets burst simultaneously into a thunderous explosion as they flew toward the brightening eastern sky, proudly leaving behind vapor trails that symbolized the destruction of the enemy.”The North Korean leader reportedly expressed his satisfaction with the test, comparing the “simultaneous launches to a flying squadron.”Kim said the ballistic missile launches send a warning to the enemy and added North Korea’s military “fully demonstrated its power, and the ability to destroy the enemy in the most accurate, swift and thorough manner.”According to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff on Monday, four missiles were fired in succession in 10 minutes, and each missile was launched at different angles.On Monday the Pentagon said a fifth missile was launched but failed.North Korea only confirmed the suspicion of South Korea military chiefs about the goals of its missile testing.According to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, three of the four missiles landed in Japanese territorial waters, making it likely North Korea is rehearsing attacks against U.S. military stations in Japan, from where reinforcements for the Korean peninsula would arrive in the event of war.Seoul said all four projectiles were most likely midrange ballistic missiles that are not capable of reaching the continental United States, South Korean newspaper Kukmin Ilbo reported Monday.The rockets, which all flew distances of 620 miles or less, could have been projectiles like the Rodong, the Scud-ER, or a modified missile like the Pukguksong-2, launched Feb. 12.But the South Korea military is not ruling out the possibility that at least one of the missiles was an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, because of the location of the launch.The station in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, has been the site of previously long-range rocket tests.In another development, North Korea said on Tuesday it has temporarily banned Malaysians from leaving the country to ensure the safety of its diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.The ban came amid an escalating row over the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother, Kim Jong Nam.The North’s foreign ministry has notified the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang of the reason for the measure and said it had hoped the case would be swiftly and fairly resolved in order to develop bilateral ties with Malaysia, the North’s KCNA news agency reported. </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. </s> The reported failure of the latest, short-range missiles suggested Pyongyang may have been trialling new technology, officials said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) ast week delayed the Guam strike plan, but warned it could go ahead depending on Washington's next move. (Photo: File)

Seoul: North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles Saturday, the US military said, reviving tensions with Washington after President Donald Trump had said the reclusive nation's leader Kim Jong Un was starting to show some "respect".

The launches come as tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops take part in joint military drills in the south of the peninsula, which Pyongyang views as highly provocative.

Two of the missiles failed in flight and the third blew up "almost immediately", with none of the weapons posing a threat to either North America or the US territory of Guam, said a spokesman for US Pacific Command.

Lee Il-Woo, an analyst at Korea Defence Network, said the launch represented a "low-level provocative act" carried out in response to the US-South Korea exercises, which are seen by Pyongyang as a rehearsal for an invasion of its own territory.

The joint exercises started Monday at a time of heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, after two successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches carried out by North Korea last month apparently brought most of the United States into range for the first time.

The reported failure of the latest, short-range missiles suggested Pyongyang may have been trialling new technology, or using up old weaponry, Lee said.

"The North might have been testing new multiple rocket launchers, or short-range ballistic missiles or firing off decaying age-old ballistic missiles stored in a missile base near the eastern coast, where the projectiles were fired," he said.

"It tends to fire untested missiles or rockets from the coast toward the sea to avoid possible fallouts."

The launches, which took place over a span of 30 minutes, came as North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw a military exercise simulating a special forces assault on South Korean border islands involving aircraft, "multiple-missile launchers" and howitzers.

Shells hit islands standing in for South Korea's Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands while special forces landed in rubber boats or parachuted in and "wiped out the desperate enemy with various combat methods," the Korean Central News Agency said.

The North bombarded Yeonpyeong island in November 2010 in response to a South Korean live-fire drill near the tense sea border, killing four South Koreans -- two soldiers and two civilians -- and prompting Seoul to return the fire.

"Kim Jong-Un expressed great satisfaction over the successful target-striking contest," it said.

- 'Starting to respect' -

 North Korea's ICBM launches last month triggered an intense warning by President Donald Trump that Washington could rain "fire and fury" on the North.

Pyongyang then threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam, but later backed away from the plan and tensions had eased.

Trump said Wednesday that Kim Jong-Un was "starting to respect" the United States, hours after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said talks with the nuclear-armed North over its banned weapons programmes might be possible "in the near future".

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday that Trump was aware of the launches.

"In regards to activity in North Korea tonight, the president has been briefed and we are monitoring the situation," she said.

Neither Japan nor South Korea confirmed Saturday the US military's description of the weapons fired by North Korea's "ballistic missiles".

South Korea's defence ministry said "unidentified projectiles", fired at 6:49 am (2149 GMT Friday), flew some 250 kilometres (155 miles) towards the Sea of Japan.

"They could be ballistic missiles but they could be rockets. We are now analysing," said Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, adding that they did not fly on a "lofted" trajectory.

The North's missiles have alarmed Japan since a Taepodong-1 overflew its territory in 1998. In April 2009, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket which flew over Japan in what it said was an attempt to put a satellite into orbit, but which was seen by the US, Japan and South Korea as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2.

Under Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang has made rapid strides in its ballistic missile technology, which it is banned from pursuing under United Nations resolutions that have slapped it with seven sets of sanctions.

"We understand that today's action indicated North Korea consistently continues developing nuclear weapons and missiles. We have to respond firmly," said Onodera. </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> North Korea's latest missile launch appears to have ended in failure, just days after the country claimed it had managed a major breakthrough in its rocket program.

The North fired a missile from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan on Wednesday. but the launch ended in a failure, Seoul's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It said it was analyzing what type of missile North Korea launched.

Japanese authorities provided backing the South's report, with Kyodo News saying it believed the test may have failed.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government had not confirmed whether the missiles were trying to be fired towards Japan.

US officials shed further light on the failure, which was the latest in a series of missile tests by the isolated, nuclear armed state that have raised alarm across the region.

'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 air field on North Korea's east coast.

'A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch.'

Earlier this month, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that landed in waters off Japan, triggering strong protests from Seoul and Tokyo.

The reported failure came as US and South Korean troops were conducting their annual military drills that the North calls an invasion rehearsal.

American officials said earlier this week the US military expected another North Korean missile launch in the next several days.

The officials said the US has increased its surveillance over the North as a result, and had detected a North Korean missile launcher being moved, as well as the construction of VIP seating in Wonsan.

The North's state media said Sunday it had conducted a rocket engine test that its leader, Kim Jong Un, said opened 'a new birth' of its rocket industry.

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

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

Tillerson said all options, including a military one, were on the table if North Korea threatened South Korean or U.S. forces.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday criticized North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying he was 'acting very, very badly'.
The United States Defense Department reports its Strategic Command systems detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch near the city of Kusong in North Pyongan Province.