N. Korea launches ballistic missile, apparently ends in failure
"We detected the launch of a missile from North Korea today. It was likely a Musudan IRBM," a U.S. Defense Department official said Tuesday evening in Washington.
"Initial indications are that it failed in flight over the Sea of Japan," the official said, requesting anonymity.
The missile was launched from near Wonsan at around 5:58 a.m., South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The launch came after Japan had detected signs of North Korea preparing to launch an intermediate-range ballistic missile and ordered its Self-Defense Forces to shoot down any projectile heading toward its territory.
A Musudan missile has an estimated range of between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometers, which would cover not only any target in South Korea or Japan, but also potentially U.S. military facilities on the Pacific island of Guam.
Earlier Tuesday, the United States had urged North Korea to refrain from another missile launch after Japan and South Korea warned the country may be preparing to launch a Musudan missile.
"We of course would have concerns if the North Koreans were to conduct another missile test. It would be another violation of U.N. resolutions. It would be another provocative action," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a briefing.
"So we certainly would urge North Korea to refrain from doing that sort of thing," Cook said.
In April, North Korea launched what is believed to be a Musudan on three occasions, amid escalating tensions over its aggressive pursuit of nuclear and missile technologies, but failed in every attempt.
In late May, it also fired what is believed to be a Musudan for the fourth time but the launch failed.
North Korea is banned from conducting launches using ballistic missile technology under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The country has been ratcheting up tensions, especially since the U.N. Security Council's endorsement on March 2 of tougher sanctions against it.
They were imposed over North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, which also breached resolutions, and its launch about a month later of a long-range rocket using banned missile technology.