SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea and the U.S. said Sunday that the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile exploded soon after liftoff.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a midrange Musudan missile. It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the North’s North Pyongan province.
South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.
The U.S. military first reported the launch was attempted at 11:33 p.m. EDT Friday and that the missile didn’t pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the U.S.
“We strongly condemn this and North Korea’s other recent missile tests, which violate U.N. Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s launches using ballistic missile technology,” said Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. He said the U.S. would raise concerns at the U.N.
“Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad,” Ross said.
North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defense officials have said the North doesn’t yet have such a weapon.
It’s the latest in a series of moves by North Korea aimed apparently at displaying a show of force. As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to get the attention of world leaders who were visiting the region for a series of summits.