North Korea has failed to launch a missile on its east coast, South Korean and US military officials say, a day after Pyongyang warned the US amid rising tension in the region.
The US said a ballistic missile exploded within seconds of the launch.
Hours earlier, North Korea paraded what appeared to be long-range ballistic missiles at a major military display.
It has already conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in contravention of UN resolutions.
The latest development comes as US Vice-President Mike Pence heads to the South Korean capital, Seoul, where he is expected to discuss the best way to deal with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes.
The missile was launched from the eastern coastal city of Sinpo, which is the site of a submarine base and where the North has tested the submarine-launched ballistic missile it is developing. Weapons on submarines are much harder to track and destroy, and would make it far more challenging for the US and its allies to mount a pre-emptive strike. However, it is thought the latest launch was land-based.
A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: “We are concerned about reports of a missile test by North Korea and are monitoring the situation closely.”
“We stand alongside our international partners in making clear that North Korea must adhere to UN resolutions designed to secure peace and stability in the region and stop its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
“North Korea attempted to test an unidentified type of missile from [its eastern port of] Sinpo,” the South Korean defence ministry said, adding that the launch on Sunday had “failed”.
The ministry said that it was investigating for further details.
“North Korea showing a variety of offensive missiles at yesterday’s military parade and daring to fire a ballistic missile today is a show of force that threatens the whole world,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, urged North Korea to abide by UN resolutions and end its quest to develop nuclear weapons. “We have been here before but continue to monitor the situation carefully,” Johnson said in a statement.
Sunday’s missile launch comes a day after a giant military parade in North Korea’s capital and exactly one year after a similar failure, when Pyongyang attempted to mark the anniversary of its founder’s birth, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April, by launching a Musudan missile. North Korea displayed new long-range missiles that could one day threaten continental America, showcasing the isolated nation’s defiance as a US aircraft carrier group headed to the region.
Kim Jong-un 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 ended in failure 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.
Despite Sunday’s failure, the North’s previous claim to have used “standardised” 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.
China offered no immediate reaction to the missile launch. But in a commentary released after Saturday’s military demonstration, Beijing’s official news agency, Xinhua, said the region had reached “a critical moment in history” and warned that a pre-emptive US strike could trigger full-scale war.
It was now time for North Korea and the US to strike a “grand bargain,” Xinhua said.
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