Seoul reports North Korea fired ballistic missile test

RT
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 21:39 UTC

© 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."

Comment: Meanwhile: US and Japan in joint show of force amid simmering row with North Korea

Update: N. Korean ballistic missile fails minutes after launch

The US Pacific Command detected and tracked the missile launch from an area near the Pukchang airfield, but determined that the missile never posed any threat to the United States, as according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) it never left North Korean airspace.

The projectile, presumed to be a KN-17 medium range ballistic missile, appeared to have broken up and exploded "within minutes" of the launch, US officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Missile debris allegedly landed in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to a US official who spoke with CNN. An unnamed US official confirmed to NBC News that there was no indication that the test was nuclear.

The US administration is "aware of the most recent North Korean missile test," and President Trump was briefed on the launch, the White House said in a short statement.