South Korea and the US said on Sunday that the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile reportedly exploded soon after liftoff.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile. It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said that the missile was believed to have exploded soon after liftoff. Yonhap cited no source for this information. South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates UN Security Council resolutions that bans any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.
The US military first reported the launch was attempted at 11:33 pm EDT Friday (12:03 pm Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the US.
"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," said Cmdr Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.
He said the US would raise concerns at the UN.
"Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad," Ross said. "We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation."
Japan has expressed concern over the launches, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Sunday that she wants to work in cooperation with the US And South Korea to assure her country's security.