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By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its east coast Sunday in apparent defiance of the Donald Trump administration, but it exploded shortly after liftoff.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it has yet to discover the type of missile. The failed launch came a day after the North flaunted 60 missiles including what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICMB) in a massive military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung.
"North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile from near Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province at 6:20 a.m. today but it is suspected to have failed," a JCS spokesman said. "We're analyzing the type and other details concerning the missile."
The U.S. Pacific Command said the missile "blew up almost immediately."
The unsuccessful missile launch came just hours ahead of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to South Korea in what was seen as a show of force toward the Trump administration's hawkish rhetoric against the Kim Jong-un regime.
Immediately after the failed missile launch, Cheong Wa Dae convened a National Security Council meeting to discuss possible countermeasures against any further military provocation.
National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin presided over the meeting that was attended by security-related officials, including the foreign, unification and defense ministers as well the director and deputy director of the National Intelligence Service.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attempted missile launch, saying, "It is apparently another violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and also a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community."
Citing the North's display of a new type of ICBM at the massive parade, the foreign ministry warned that Pyongyang would face "punitive measures that it cannot endure" should it carry out a nuclear test or other provocations.
Trump has said that his administration will take care of the recalcitrant North on its own if China does not help. In a Tweet on April 13, Trump said: "I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea. If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will."
Trump has deployed a U.S. strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to waters around the Korean Peninsula.
This time, however, the Trump administration apparently refrained from a verbal attack on the North's latest missile test.
"The President and his military team are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch," U.S. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said in a statement. "The President has no further comment."
On April 5, North Korea had another failed missile test after launching either a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile or a Scud-ER (extended range) missile. It exploded after flying 60 kilometers from Sinpo.
Intelligence authorities said the missiles used on April 5 and Sunday may be the same type, adding "They both were believed to have not flown far from the launch facility."
Some analysts said the repeated failures in missile launches show that North Korea may be having difficulty in developing solid-fueled engines as used in the KN-15.
Others said Pyongyang may be conducting tests for upgraded versions of the Pukguksong-2, the North Korean name for the KN-15, to develop a new ICBM.
They said the North will have no other choice but to keep conducting missile launches despite repeated failures until they figure out their cause.
At the same time, tensions have been heightening over the possibility of the North conducting another nuclear test. The North has another big military event on April 25 when its army marks its 85th anniversary.
