North Korea's 5th missile test ends in failure

[YONHAP]

North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast Sunday morning that appears to have ended in failure, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The missile was fired from the eastern port city of Sinpo in Hamgyong Province before 8 a.m. The type of projectile and the reason for its failure is not yet known. This marks the North’s fifth missile test this year, the most recent being 11 days ago on April 5.

The test comes hours before U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will arrive in Seoul for his first trip in office to the Asia-Pacific region to discuss North Korean aggression.

On Saturday, North Korea unveiled what appears to be launch tubes for a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during a military parade in the capital of Pyongyang celebrating the 105th birthday of the country’s late founder, Kim Il Sung.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said further analysis will be required to determine conclusively whether the missile in the tubes was an ICBM.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]