North Korea Fires Missile, Fails Miserably

April 17, 2017

A day after Pyongyang announced its threats against the United States, North Korea reportedly launched an unidentified missile, South Korean and U.S. military officials confirmed.

The launch, however, was deemed unsuccessful as it detonated immediately after launch, Yonhap News reports.

“The communist state attempted to launch an unidentified missile from the port city of Sinpo on its east coast in the morning and the launch is presumed to have failed,” the South Korean military was quoted as saying.

The U.S. military also detected the launch at 9:21 pm GMT, stated that it “blew up almost immediately” after the launch.

“US Pacific Command detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch at 11:21 a.m. Hawaii time April 15,” said U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Commander David Benham. “The launch of the ballistic missile occurred near Sinpo. The missile blew up almost immediately. The type of missile is still being assessed.”

North Korea has just celebrated the 105th birthday of its late founder, Kim Il Sung, the day before, in which Kim Jong Un marked with a public display of the country’s arsenal, including some long-range and submarine-based missiles.

Right after the failed missile launch, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Seoul, South Korea as part of his 10-day Asia trip. He is set to convene with the South Korean government on how to best deal with North Korea’s nuclear program.

Meanwhile, U.S. president Trump remained silent during and after North Korea’s huge parade in Pyongyang, spending both Friday and Saturday mornings playing golf at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, according to the Washington Post.

In a statement, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed that Trump and his military team have already been briefed of the failed missile launch. Trump has yet to comment on the latest development.

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