London: North suffered a setback this morning, after a missile launch from the country’s east coast appeared to have failed.
According to the Guardian, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement that the North had launched what appeared to be an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, but added that it had been unsuccessful.
North Korea has never successfully launched a Musudan as they have failed three times earlier in April.
With an estimated range of between 2,500km (1,200 miles) and 4,000km (2,400 miles), the Musudan is theoretically capable of reaching South Korea and Japan, and possibly military bases on the US Pacific territory of Guam.
“The attempted missile launch … is believed to have failed. We are analysing and closely monitoring the situation and maintaining a watertight defence posture.” a South Korea defence ministry spokesman said.
Despite the failure of the recent missile launches, and doubts over North Korean claims that January’s nuclear test involved a powerful hydrogen device, the Kim Jong Un-led regime has stood its ground against UN security council resolutions that ban nuclear tests and the development of ballistic missile technology.
Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said shortly before Tuesday’s failed launch that Washington was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments,” Ross said. (ANI)