North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan on Wednesday but the projectile is believed to have failed, the South Korean military said, as it apparently exploded mid-air.
The military said South Korea detected the launch from near Pyongyang around 5:30 a.m. and the missile did not cause any damage to aircraft or ships. A military source said North Korea may have test-fired a hypersonic missile equipped with a solid-fuel engine but it exploded in flight over the sea.
Japan's Defense Ministry said North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile eastward and it is estimated to have flown more than 200 kilometers at a maximum altitude of about 100 km before falling off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The projectile fell into the sea outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
A hypersonic missile is designed to travel at more than five times the speed of sound. Given it is difficult for existing missile defense systems to intercept such projectiles, North Korea's acquisition of hypersonic missile capabilities raises regional security concerns, analysts say.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to develop missiles that use solid fuel to shorten the time required for prelaunch preparations, while vowing to secure reconnaissance abilities with satellite systems.
Tokyo lodged a stern protest with Pyongyang over the launch that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions, condemning North Korea's missile tests as threatening the peace and safety of the international community, according to the Japanese ministry.
Following the missile firing, senior Japanese, U.S. and South Korean officials in charge of North Korean issues condemned the action during phone talks, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
North Korea is banned from using any ballistic missile technology under U.N. Security Council resolutions that also impose sanctions on the country.
The latest launch came after North Korea on Monday condemned a recent visit to Busan by the U.S. nuclear-powered carrier Theodore Roosevelt and warned of a possible military exercise to ensure deterrence.
The carrier will take part in a joint defense drill with South Korea and Japan, called Freedom Edge, planned for later this month near the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korean media reports.
North Korea has also released balloons carrying trash to South Korea recently.
Japan, the United States and South Korea have criticized Pyongyang for repeatedly launching ballistic missiles, while boosting their trilateral security ties through joint exercises and the sharing of real-time information on North Korean missile launches.
The United States and its two East Asian allies have also slammed deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, whose leaders signed a new partnership treaty last week that reportedly stipulates mutual defense.
Related coverage:
U.S. says North Korea could get help from Russia on nuclear development
New North Korea-Russia pact stipulates "all means" of military aid
North Korean soldiers intrude across border again: South Korean military
