North Korea ICBM launch may have failed: Seoul

SEOUL: North Korea unsuccessfully fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during a new salvo of launches yesterday, the South said, with Washington urging all nations to enforce sanctions on Pyongyang.

The launches prompted South Korea and the United States to extend their ongoing joint air drills, the largest-ever such exercises, citing North Korea’s “provocations”.

People in parts of northern Japan were ordered to seek shelter during the North’s latest launches, which included two short-range missiles and followed a blitz of projectiles fired on Wednesday.

However, the largest of yesterday’s launches “is presumed to have ended in failure”, the South Korean military said.

The United States condemned the ICBM launch despite its apparent failure.

“This action underscores the need for all countries to fully implement DPRK-related UN Security Council resolutions,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, using the North’s official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Washington also confirmed information provided by the South Korean military, which said earlier it had detected the launch of the long-range ballistic missile at 7.40am in the Sunan area of Pyongyang.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the ICBM appeared to have failed during “second-stage separation”.

“The range of the long-range ballistic missile is around 760km, altitude of 1,920km at speed of Mach 15.”

It also detected what were “believed to be two short-range ballistic missiles fired at around 8.39am from Kaechon, South Pyongan province”.

South Korea’s military said it “is maintaining a full readiness posture while closely cooperating with the United States and strengthening surveillance and vigilance”.