US detects failed DPRK missile test: Pentagon

The US military detected a failed the Democratic People's Republic of Korean (DPRK) test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile, the Pentagon said on October 15.

The test-firing was the latest in a series conducted by the DPRK in violation of United Nations resolutions, drawing a fresh US vow to take its concerns to the world body and seek to hold the DPRK accountable for these actions."

The US Strategic Command's systems detected that the Musudan missile failed in a launch conducted near DPRK's northwestern city of Kusong, the Pentagon said in a statement.

It provided no details on what went wrong but said the launch never posed a threat to North America.

"We strongly condemn this and DPRK's other recent missile tests," said US Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. "Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.”

RoK's military said early on October 16 that the DPRK fired what it believed was a Musudan missile at 0333 GMT on October 15 (11:33 p.m. EDT on October 14) but it failed immediately after launch. It did not elaborate on the reason for the failure.

"The DPRK's ballistic missile launch is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and we strongly condemn the DPRK's illegal act of provocation," the RoK's office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Ross said the United States called on the DPRK to "refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region."

The top US diplomat for East Asia said late last month that Washington would speed up deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to the RoK given the pace of the DPRK's missile tests, and it would be stationed there "as soon as possible."

The RoK and the United States have agreed to deploy the anti-missile system in the South to counter the North's threat.

Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state of East Asia, also told a congressional hearing the United States was in discussions with international partners, including the European Union, to deny the DPRK access to international banking infrastructure after its recent nuclear and missile tests.

Pyongyang is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. The DPRK conducted its fifth nuclear blast on Sept. 9.