North korea missile launch
© FILE PHOTO. Jun Yeon-Je / AFP
North Korea has launched a ballistic missile from an area north of the country's capital, Pyongyang, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"North Korea fired an unidentified missile from a site in the vicinity of Bukchang in Pyeongannam-do (South Pyeongan Province) early this morning," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement, according to Yonhap.

An unnamed US official confirmed to NBC News that there was indeed a missile test, but there was no indication that it was nuclear. Meanwhile, Reuters reports, citing sources, that initial analysis shows that the latest test might have failed.

The South Korean military are now analyzing the type of missile fired and flight distance of the projectile traveled.

The reported launch comes amid rising tensions in the region and a US military buildup in response to the North Korean "nuclear threat." It also comes just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the UN Security Council that the military option remains on the table for the US to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program.

"All options for responding to future provocations must remain on the table," Tillerson told the 15-member international body. "Diplomatic and financial leverage or power will be backed up by willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action, if necessary."

Tillerson's remarks come just a day after US President Donald Trump told Reuters that there is a "chance" of a major conflict in the region if diplomacy fails.

"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely," Trump told Reuters. "We'd love to solve things diplomatically, but it's very difficult."