North Korea fires nuclear missile test as Kim Jong-un develops long-range missile
NORTH Korea has conducted a failed test on an intermediate ballistic missile, the US military has claimed.
North Korea missile launch ends in FAILURE
Officials say the test allegedly took place near the north-western city of Kusong at 4.33 BST on Saturday, as the totalitarian state continues attempts to develop long range weapons.
North Korean state media made no mention of a test or launch on Saturday but carried an article published threatening the US for “hostile acts hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK”.
The launch comes despite North Korea being banned from testing the potentially deadly weapons.
North Korea i banned by the UN from testing nuclear missiles
North Korea has conducted a number of missile tests
The missile was presumed to be a Musadan intermediate-range ballistic missile, which - based on estimates from the Missile Defense Project - is speculated to have a range of approximately 1,500 to 2,400 miles
US Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said: “We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests.
"We intend to raise our concerns at the UN to bolster international resolve in holding the DPRK accountable for these actions."
Kim Jong Un continues to test missiles despite by banned
Mr Ross said the US commitment to the defence of its allies in the region, including South Korea and Japan, was "iron-clad" in the face of such North Korean actions.
The Pentagon said the missile launch did not pose a threat to North America.
North Korea has made a number of missile related tests this year, despite being banned from the use of ballistic or nuclear technology by the UN.
Kim Jong Un's behaviour has changed in recent months
World leaders are believed to be making plans to take out the dangerous dictator
In August, Japanese and South Korean officials said a medium-range ballistic missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters.
The following month, it claimed to have conducted its largest ever nuclear test that allegedly generated an explosion so powerful it triggered an artificial magnitude 5 earthquake.
State media claimed the “successful” experiment, carried out at a secretive underground facility, involved a nuclear warhead being detonated.
KCNA reported that the weapon could be “mounted on strategic ballistic rockets”, which would allow Kim Jong-un’s military to target enemies around the world.