Jane Onyanga-Omara

USA TODAY

North Korea conducted another failed missile launch Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean military officials said.

The incident came during annual U.S.-South Korean military drills that Pyongyang believes are a rehearsal for invasion.

The missile appears to have exploded soon after it launched from close to the city of Wonsan, on North Korea's east coast, Reuters reported. It came after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that landed in waters off Japan earlier this month.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that military action against North Korea is an "option is on the table" after visiting the buffer zone between North and South Korea on Friday.

He said that the "policy of strategic patience has ended" and that the U.S. was considering military, diplomatic and economic measures aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Trump tweeted Friday: “North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years. China has done little to help!”

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The latest test was at the same location where Pyongyang launched several intermediate-range missiles last year. Only one of those tests was successful, Reuters reported.

"U.S. Pacific Command detected what we assess was a failed North Korean missile launch attempt," said U.S. military Commander Dave Benham in a statement, according to the news agency.

The test came three days after the North claimed a major breakthrough in its rocket development program.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it was analyzing what type of missile was launched but gave no further details. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the missile was believed to have exploded in mid-air.

South Korean media reported that the failure could mean that the missile is newly-developed and has not yet been deployed by Pyongyang.

North Korea is working to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. The North carried out two nuclear tests last year.

Contributing: Associated Press