The Yonhap News Agency said the North attempted to test fire the intermediate-range weapon from its east coast in the early hours.
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Japan had also put its military on alert Monday for a possible ballistic missile firing.
During the congress, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un extended an offer of military dialogue to the South. But Seoul dismissed the proposal as insincere. “Maybe Kim Jong Un was very upset about the failures”, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at South Korea’s state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.
Lim said Tuesday’s launch attempt shows that North Korea is openly pressing ahead with its vow to bolster its military strength, regardless of whether it is pushing for talks with South Korea.
Meanwhile, a top North Korean official made an unexpected visit to China on Tuesday in an apparent attempt by Pyongyang to mend frayed ties with its powerful neighbor, Japanese media reported. According to South Korean defense officials all the missiles exploded in mid-air or crashed.
Tuesday’s launch marked the fourth time the Musudan has been fired, with all attempts having ended in failure.
“The situation on the peninsula remains complex and sensitive”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing when asked about the reported failed missile launch.
Washington regularly holds military drills with South Korea and Japan – which together host about 80,000 American troops – and shares intelligence with them on a bilateral level. South Korea believes the North does not yet possess a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, but is working on the technology.
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“The launch is (as much) aimed toward the US and the global society as it is toward the South. The North appears to focus on improving its nuclear strike capacity by diversifying its means of launch”, he said. According to Xinhua, Ri met with Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, and agreed to work for the “promotion of regional peace and stability” in Asia and “strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two parties”.
