North Korean missile launch fails, Seoul says

PanARMENIAN.Net - North Korea tried and failed to test-fire what appeared to be a medium-range Musudan missile on the birthday of founding leader Kim Il-Sung Friday, April 15, a high-profile misstep after Pyongyang claimed a series of breakthroughs in its nuclear weapons program, AFP reports.

The missile disappeared from surveillance radar a few seconds after launch and is believed to have exploded midair, said a Seoul intelligence official quoted by Yonhap news agency.

There had been widespread intelligence reports in recent days that the North was preparing for the first-ever flight test of its Musudan missile, which is believed to be capable of striking U.S. bases in the Pacific island of Guam.

The U.S. and South Korean militaries both detected and tracked the early morning test.

"We assess that the launch failed," a U.S. defense official said, adding that it was "presumably" a Musudan.

The April 15 birthday of Kim Il-Sung -- the grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong-Un -- is a major public holiday in North Korea, where key political anniversaries are often marked with displays of military muscle.

If Friday's failure is confirmed as a Musudan test, it would mark a very unwelcome public failure and fuel doubts about just how far the North has gone in developing a reliable nuclear delivery system, AFP says.

"We are monitoring and continuing to assess the situation," another U.S. official said, calling on North Korea to "refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region."