North Korean Missile Debris Falls Around Pyongyang, South Korea: Allegedly Failed After Launch

Illustration of North Korea's missile test launch. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea fired an "unknown projectile" on Wednesday that appeared to fail soon after launch, the South Korean military said, amid reports Pyongyang is seeking to test its largest missile yet.

The United States and South Korea have warned that North Korea may be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first time since 2017.

The projectile was fired from Sunan Airport outside the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

"Presumably failed immediately after launch," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Yonhap News Agency reported, the projectile appeared to explode in midair shortly after takeoff, citing unnamed sources.

Separately, the US military's Indo-Pacific Command called it a "ballistic missile launch." The order did not mention the reported failure, but condemned the launch, urging Pyongyang to refrain from further destabilizing actions.

A source at Japan's Ministry of Defense also referred to the projectile as a potential ballistic missile, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.

Debris fell in or near Pyongyang after the failed test, Seoul-based NK News reported, citing unnamed witnesses. Test photo showing a ball of red smoke at the end of a rocket's launch path zigzagging in the sky over the city.

"The failure report from Sunan is worrying because of the possible damage to densely populated civilian areas," said Ankit Panda, a senior research fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Please note, Sunan Airport has been the location of several recent launches, including those on 27 February and 5 March. North Korea said the test was to develop a reconnaissance satellite component, not identifying what rocket it was using. But Seoul and Washington say they did. Testing of the new ICBM system.