North Korea reportedly tried and failed to fire a missile from its east coast on Tuesday morning, South Korean officials said, the latest in a series of unsuccessful ballistic missile tests by the Hermit Kingdom.
The attempted launch took place at around 5:20am Seoul time, the officials said, who declined to be identified or provide additional details.
Videos by VICE
According to South Korea’s publicly funded Yonhap News Agency, Pyongyang appeared to have attempted launching a “Musudan” or BM-25 — an intermediate-range ballistic missile theoretically capable of traveling 1,500 to 2,500 miles, which would put the US territory of Guam or Japan within reach, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative. The Musudan would also be able to carry a 1.3-ton nuclear warhead.
The missile was first unveiled at a military parade celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Korean Worker’s Party six years ago. In April, North Korea launched the Musudan to mark the 104th birthday of the country’s “eternal president” Kim II Sung, who led the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea until 1994. That launch also failed. Two further attempts to launch the Musudan also failed.
Yonhap quoted a South Korean government source as saying the missile was likely to have exploded at about the time it lifted off from a mobile launcher.
Regional tensions have been running high since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January, followed by a rocket launch and test launches of other various missiles.
Japan sounded its military alert on Monday for a possible North Korean missile launch. “North Korea shows no sign of abandoning the development of nuclear missiles and so we will continue to work closely with the US and South Korea in response and maintain a close watch,” Japanese Minister of Defense General Nakatani told a media briefing.
North Korean state media did not mention any missile launch.
The North’s flurry of weapons technology tests this year came in the run-up to the first congress in 36 years of its ruling Workers’ Party earlier this month, where young leader Kim Jong Un consolidated his control.
Tuesday’s launch appears to have been its first missile test since then, and experts said it was unusual to test-fire a missile so soon after a failure.
The South Korean military said the successive tests could stem from Kim’s order in March for further tests of nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.
“They must’ve been in a rush. Maybe Kim Jong Un was very upset about the failures,” said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at South Korea’s state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.
Related: North Korea’s Kim Jong-un Says He’s Willing to Play Nice and Stop Threatening Nuclear War
The North is believed to have up to 30 Musudan missiles, according to South Korean media, which officials said were first deployed in around 2007.
“It could have cracks and something wrong with the welding,” Lee said of possible causes for the latest failure. “But deployment before test-firing these to complete development seems unusual.”
The attempted launch took place near the east coast city of Wonsan, one of the South Korean officials said, the same area where previous Musudan tests had taken place.
Related: Yes, North Korea Probably Tested an H-Bomb — Just Not the Kind You’re Thinking Of
China, North Korea’s only major ally, called for the cessation of any action that would exacerbate tension.
“The situation on the peninsula remains complex and sensitive,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing when asked about the launch.
“We think that all sides should avoid any actions that further worsen tensions.”
China is concerned about North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile tests, and signed on to the tough UN sanctions against its reclusive neighbor in March.
The international department of China’s Communist Party said diplomat Ri Su Yong, one of North Korea’s highest-profile officials, visited China on Tuesday, meeting the department’s head, Song Tao.
The two expressed a desire to increase cooperation between their parties and work hard to promote regional peace and stability, the department said in a brief statement.
There was no indication of any link between the missile launch and Ri’s visit.
Ri was foreign minister until he was named a member of the politburo during the recent Workers’ Party congress.
