North Korea Fails Attempted Missile Launch
16 April 2017
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North Korea attempted to launch a missile Sunday on its east coast but apparently failed, South Korea’s military said.

The attempt comes a day after North Korea held a military parade showing off its latest missiles amid increased tensions in the region over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

“The North attempted to launch an unidentified missile from near the Sinpo region this morning but it is suspected to have failed,” the South’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement reported by Reuters.

South Korea’s military did not provide any further details, saying it was analyzing the launch.

Vice President Pence was en route to South Korea on Saturday night as part of a more than weeklong trip to the region.

North Korea held its parade Saturday to mark the 105th birthday of its state founder Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, where it showcased its missiles.

The North fired a ballistic missile into the waters off the peninsula earlier this month. That missile launch, which also came from near the port city of Sinpo, prompted a terse response from some U.S. officials following a flurry of statements on the issue.

“North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. “The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.”

That launch from the same region earlier this month came ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a key ally of North Korea, to discuss Pyongyang’s arms program.

Trump vowed to pressure the Chinese leader to take a firmer approach to North Korea, but told The Wall street Journal following the meeting, “After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it’s not so easy.”