North Korea has launched a long-range rocket, but Japan and South Korea said the missile failed early in flight, with broken pieces falling into the Yellow Sea off the Korean peninsula.
South Korea and the US confirmed that the Eunha-3 (Galaxy) rocket went up at 7.39am local time on Friday morning. But Seoul and Tokyo later said the missile appeared to break apart within minutes.
“Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea’s provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments,” the White House said. “North Korea is only further isolating itself by engaging in provocative acts, and is wasting its money on weapons and propaganda displays while the North Korean people go hungry.”