North Korea fired a submarine-launched missile of its eastern coastal town of Sinpo early Saturday, U.S. and South Korea confirmed, further extending its defiance of international sanctions.
The missile successfully ejected from the submarine’s launch tube but failed in its early stage of flight. The missile likely flew a few kilometers (miles) before exploding midair, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
In a statement, the U.S. Strategic Command said it tracked a presumed KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile from North Korea's eastern coast. According to their reading, the missile "fell" after being tracked over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
"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.
The launches were the latest in a series of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula and led to a tightening of international sanctions in recent months.
North Korea launched two medium-range ballistic missiles in June. U.S. military officials said two Musudan missiles were launched from Wonsan, North Korea, and were tracked over the Sea of Japan, where they fell.
The Musudan missiles are believed to have a range of 2,180 miles, which would put key U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam at risk.
The U.N. imposed strict sanctions against the North earlier this year after it conducted its fourth nuclear test and a long-range missile launch. The North attempted three launches of the new Musudan missile in April, all of which ended in apparent failure.
“Every time the North Koreans test their nuclear and missile capabilities, they learn something, and get better,” said John Delury, an associate professor at Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies, in Seoul, in an interview earlier this year.
Contributing: Kirk Spitzer and Associated Press
