Updated April 16, 2017 12:10:18
A North Korean missile launched near Sinpo on the east coast "blew up almost immediately", according to US Pacific Command.
Key points:
- Both US and South Korea reported missile launch failed
- US Vice-President Mike Pence en route to South Korea for talks over North's arms program
- North Korea had warned of nuclear strike against the US if provoked
The failed launch came a day after North Korea held a military parade in its capital, marking the birth anniversary of the state founder, where what appeared to be new long-range ballistic missiles were on display.
"The North attempted to launch an unidentified missile from near the Sinpo region this morning but it is suspected to have failed," the South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The US Pacific Command said the missile "blew up almost immediately", adding the type of missile was being analysed.
There was a high degree of confidence it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official said on condition of anonymity.
A second US official said the launch was land-based.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited an unnamed South Korean intelligence source as saying the missile appeared to have not flown far from its land-based launch site.
Sinpo, where the launch took place, is the site of a North Korean submarine base and where the North has tested the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) it is developing.
The missile launched earlier this month flew about 60 kilometres, but what US officials said appeared to be a liquid-fuelled, extended-range Scud missile only travelled a fraction of its range before spinning out of control.
"This launch can possibly be a test for a new type of missile or an upgrade."
The failed launch took place hours before US Vice-President Mike Pence was due in the South for talks on the North's increasingly defiant arms program.
Mr Pence is due in Seoul at the start of a 10-day trip to Asia in what his aides said was a sign of the US commitment to its ally in the face of rising tension over North Korea.
The White House has said US President Donald Trump has put the North "on notice" while the possibility of US military action against Pyongyang has gained traction following US strikes against Syria on April 7.
Mr Trump has ordered a navy strike group flagshipped by a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to head to the region as a show of force as his officials assess tougher economic sanctions as well as military options against the North.
North Korea has in turn warned of a nuclear strike against the United States if provoked.
The North has said it had developed and would launch a missile that could strike the mainland United States, but officials and experts believed it was some time away from mastering all the necessary technology.
Reuters
First posted April 16, 2017 09:16:05
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