North Korea fired a ballistic missile from a submarine Saturday but it appears to have failed after ,launch according to South Korea's military. The latest test comes after the U.S. and South Korea agreed to deploy an advanced anti-missile system to counter North Korean threats.
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The South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was launched at about 11:30 a.m. Seoul time in waters east of the Korean peninsula. The missile was likely fired from a submarine as planned but appears to have failed in the early stage of flight, the Joint Chiefs said.
Earlier in the week, North Korea warned it was planning its toughest response to what it deemed a "declaration of war" by the U.S. for blacklisting leader Kim Jong Un for alleged human rights abuses.
Japan, the U.S. and South Korea condemned the missile launch as a flagrant violation of U.N. sanctions.
"We should strongly condemn the launch by working with the international community," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said according to Kyodo news agency.
The missile was detected in the sea southeast of the North Korean city of Sinpo, South Korea's military said. Satellite images indicate that North Korea is actively trying to develop its submarine-launched ballistic missile program in this area, according to experts.
North Korea and South Korea are technically still at war as their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the Japan, South Korea and its main ally: the United States.