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US, South Korea say latest North Korea missile launch fails

South Korea's military says the latest missile launch by rival North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile exploded soon after liftoff.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff says in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile.

It says the failed launch was made near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province.

North Korean military participates in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang on October 12, 2015.
KCNA | Reuters

The statement says South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that bans any ballistic activities by North Korea.

Earlier, the U.S. military reported the launch was attempted at 11:33 p.m. EDT Friday (12:03 p.m. Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the U.S.