2nd LD Writethru: DPRK's Musudan missile launch appears to have failed

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday fired what was believed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it appeared to have failed, South Korea's defense ministry said.

A Defense Ministry official told Xinhua on the phone that the DPRK launched a projectile, estimated to have been a Musudan missile, at about 6:40 a.m. local time from the Wonsan area in northeastern DPRK.

The official said the launch appeared to have failed as the projectile was believed to have crashed several seconds after liftoff.

The projectile flew up just hundreds of meters, detected by U.S. reconnaissance satellite but not seen in South Korean military's radar, according to Yonhap news agency report.

It was estimated to have crashed in waters off the east coast as it disappeared several seconds after take-off.

If confirmed, it would mark the DPRK's second test-firing of a Musudan missile after the launch on April 15. South Korea's military saw the April 15 launch as failure as the missile exploded in mid-air several seconds after liftoff.

The DPRK had allegedly deployed two Musudan missiles in the Wonsan area. There has been no more Musudan missile found in the region.

The Musudan missile, known to be capable of hitting part of the U.S. territory such as Guam and the outer reaches of Alaska, has been deployed by the DPRK since 2007.

The missile is considered especially threatening as it is fired from a mobile launcher, making it hard to detect and track in times of military conflicts. It can also carry a nuclear warhead. Endit