North Korea’s latest missile launch ends in failure, says US

North Korea fired a test missile on Wednesday morning, but the launch failed, US and South Korean officials have confirmed. The missile was launched in the eastern Wonsan Province, where North Korea has previously attempted to launch its mobile-launched Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile. Believed to have a minimum range of 1,500 miles, the missile is of concern to US officials because mobile-launched missiles are hard to track and can be fired on short notice. The failure might mean that the missile is newly developed, according to South Korean media. The reported launch failure comes as the North angrily reacts to ongoing annual US-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch. … We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.

Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for the US Pacific Command

Also on Wednesday, a US Air Force B-1B bomber and South Korean fighter jets conducted joint training exercises that displayed “strong deterrence against North Korean nuclear and missile threats,” South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. The U.S. military said the training was held after the bomber staged a similar exercise with Japanese fighter jets.

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