North Korea missile launch fails day after military parade

North Korea missile launch fails day after military parade

Yahoo News:

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A North Korean missile exploded during launch Sunday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, a high-profile failure that comes as a powerful U.S. aircraft supercarrier approaches the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.

It wasn't immediately clear what kind of missile was test-fired from the east coast city of Sinpo. But the failure will sting in Pyongyang because it comes a day after one of the biggest North Korean propaganda events of the year— celebrations of the 105th birthday of late North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather.

The North's test firing can be seen as a message of defiance to the Trump administration in Washington, coming as it does on the day U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is set to arrive in Seoul for talks on North Korea.

President Donald Trump was uncharacteristically quiet about the failed launch. In a statement, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Trump and his military team "are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch. The president has no further comment."

Washington and Seoul will try hard to figure out what exactly North Korea fired. This matters because while North Korea regularly launches short-range missiles, it is also developing mid-range and long-range missiles meant to target U.S. troops in Asia and, eventually, the U.S. mainland.

The ultimate goal is to have a full array of nuclear-tipped missiles in response to what Pyongyang says is hostility by Washington and Seoul meant to topple its government. North Korea is thought to have a small arsenal of atomic bombs and an impressive array of short- and medium-range missiles.

Many outside analysts believe that North Korea has not yet mastered the technology to build warheads small enough to place on long-range missiles, though some civilian experts say North Korea can already build nuclear-tipped shorter range missiles that have South Korea and Japan within its striking range.

The U.S. Pacific Command said in a statement that Sunday's missile exploded on launch. South Korea's Defense Ministry said it was analyzing exactly how the North Korean launch failed. Neither military knew what kind of missile was fired.

In Seoul, South Korea's presidential office convened a national security council meeting to examine security postures.

Always high animosity has risen on the Korean Peninsula in recent months, as the United States and South Korea conduct annual war games that North Korea claims are invasion preparation and the North prepared for Saturday's anniversary celebrations. A U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, is heading to waters off Korea in a show of force.

Analysts warn that even failed missile launches provide valuable knowledge to North Korea as it tries to build its weapons program. The country launched a long-range rocket and conducted two nuclear tests last year, including its most powerful to date.

Aside from improving the technology, North Korean missile and nuclear tests are seen by outside analysts partly as efforts to bolster the domestic image of leader Kim Jong Un and apply political pressure on Seoul and Washington.

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 failed 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.

The extended-range Scud missile in that earlier launch suffered an in-flight failure and fell into the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to U.S. imagery and assessments.

Despite Sunday's failure, the North's previous claim to have used "standardized" 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.

Washington sees North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as a threat to world security and to its Asian allies, Japan and South Korea. The United States, South Korea and other countries have vowed to apply more pressure on the North, but so far nothing has worked to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for aid fell apart in early 2009.

BBC NEWS:

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 programs.

"North Korea attempted to test an unidentified type of missile from [its eastern port of] Sinpo," the South Korean defense ministry said, adding that the launch on Sunday had "failed".

The ministry said that it was investigating for further details.

• Read more about North Korea's missile program
• In pictures: N Korea parades with precision (and pom-poms)
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The US Pacific Command later confirmed the failed test, adding that it had detected and tracked what it believed to be a North Korean ballistic missile.

"The missile blew up almost immediately," said US Navy Commander Dave Benham, quoted by Reuters.

One unnamed US official said it was unlikely to have been an intercontinental missile, but investigations were continuing.

On Saturday, North Korea marked the 105th anniversary of the birth of its founding president, Kim Il-sung, with a huge military parade in Pyongyang amid speculation that current leader Kim Jong-un could order a new nuclear test.

The event, which appeared to include new intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, was a deliberate show of strength.

Tension continues to rise in the Korean Peninsula with a US aircraft carrier group steaming towards the region.

Mike Pence's long-planned 10-day trip marks his first official visit to the region, where he is expected to reaffirm the US commitment to stand by its regional allies.

It comes as Washington steps up the pressure on the isolated North, with President Donald Trump saying that the US is ready to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat.

At the parade on Saturday, North Korean military official Choe Ryong-hae, who is believed to be the country's second most powerful official, said that his country was "prepared to respond to an all-out war with an all-out war"

"We are ready to hit back with nuclear attacks of our own style against any nuclear attacks," he said.

Earlier this month, North Korea test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile from Sinpo into the Sea of Japan.

The launch took place on the eve of a visit by China's President Xi Jinping to the US to meet Mr. Trump. The two later discussed how to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

On Friday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that the situation in the region was escalating, adding that "conflict could break out at any moment". Mr. Wang said that if war occurred, there could be no winner.

North Korea's aim is to be able to put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach targets around the world.

Pyongyang has claimed to have miniaturised nuclear warheads for use on missiles, though experts have cast doubt on that given the lack of evidence.

The state is banned from any missile or nuclear tests by the UN, though it has repeatedly broken those sanctions.