The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile early in the morning from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan, but that it likely failed.
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North Korea has never carried out a successful launch of the Musudan missile, which theoretically has the range to reach any part of Japan and the US territory of Guam.
Separately, the global department of China’s Communist Party said diplomat Ri Su Yong, one of North Korea’s highest-profile officials, visited China on Tuesday, meeting the department’s head, Song Tao. A Russian defense analyst familiar with the North Korean nuclear missile program told UPI the problem may be linked to the missile’s liquid fuel propulsion system.
North Korean media appear to be promoting the Pyongyang-Beijing alliance, as one of the top stories in state newspaper Rodong Sinmun involves Kim Jong-un attending a friendly basketball match between teams of both nations.
Musudan missiles are thought to have a potential range of about 3,500 kilometers (2,180 miles), which would put USA military bases in Guam within their striking distance.
Describing the failed launch as an “embarrassment”, Fox News notes that, far from achieving its estimated reach of more than 2,000 miles, the Musudan missile in question barely flew in the air before exploding into pieces. Officials in South Korea said the missile is believed to have exploded on a mobile launcher as soon as the fire button was pressed.
First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has never been successfully flight-tested.
The UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions to date on the North following the January nuclear test. But he cautioned that “North Korea’s continued pursuit of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons capabilities pose a significant threat to the United States, our allies, and to the stability of the greater Asia-Pacific”.
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It appears to be the latest in a string of missile tests as the country tries to advance its weapons program in defiance of the worldwide community and its closest regional ally, China.
