
North Korea fired a powerful new mid-range missile on Wednesday which appeared to fail during flight over the Sea of Japan, South Korean military officials saiAdd Newd.
The rocket, believed to be an intermediate-range Musudan missile, was launched from the secretive state’s east coast, according to an anonymous official.
A US military spokesman said they had also detected the apparent launch, without providing details.
The same day, Japan put its military on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch, a South Korean news agency reported.
North Korea has failed in all four previous attempts to launch the Musudan, which theoretically has the range to reach any part of Japan and the US territory of Guam.
According to South Korean media, North Korea has up to 30 Musudan missiles. READ MORE OF THIS STORY