North Korea's Attempted Missile Launch Fails According To US Officials

US and South Korean defence officials have said that an attempted missile launch by North Korea failed today.

A South Korean defence official told CNN that the launch happened in Sinpo, a port city in eastern North Korea.

Sinpo is alleged to have been the site of a ballistic missile test which took place earlier this month. It reportedly fell into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

A White House foreign policy adviser said that initial reports seem to show that this most recent launch could have been a medium-range missile. However, US intelligence is still attempting to determine the exact kind.

US Pacific Command said that it tracked a missile launch at around 5:30pm ET. US Navy Commander Dave Benham added that the missile blew up 'almost immediately'.

The South Korean defence ministry added: "North Korea attempted to test an unidentified type of missile from [its eastern port of] Sinpo." They then said that the launch on Sunday had 'failed'.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis said that Donald Trump was aware of the missile launch, as he explained: "The President and his military team are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch. The President has no further comment."

This comes after North Korea warned that they are 'ready for war' if the United States attacks the region and showed off 'long-distance' ballistic missiles at a major military display.

Choe Ryong-hae, who is believed to be the country's second most powerful official, said: "We're 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."

The BBC reported on Friday that China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that 'conflict could break out at any moment'.

He added that if war occurred 'there could be no winner'.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have reached an all-time high. Trump believes China hasn't done enough to stop North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

Trump has been active on Twitter regarding the tensions between the nations, and has been criticised for inflaming matters.

Source: CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters, and BBC

Topics: South Korea, Fail, North Korea, US

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

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