Kirk Spitzer

USA TODAY

TOKYO – An apparent attempt by North Korea to fire a medium-range ballistic missile Friday has failed, according to a U.S. defense official and South Korean leaders.

The attempted launch was the latest in a string of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula and led to a tightening of international sanctions in recent months.

North Korea attempted to launch a missile at 4:33 p.m. EDT, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The missile was detected and tracked by the U.S. Strategic Command systems and was assessed to be a failure, the official told USA TODAY.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea fired a mobile Musudan, or BM-25, missile early Friday, but that the launch failed.

“It was a fiery, catastrophic attempt at a launch that was unsuccessful,” said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, the Associated Press reported. He said the U.S. believes it was likely a road-mobile missile but is still assessing, according to the AP.

The launch was closely monitored by U.S. ships in the region.

"We were aware of North Korea's announcement of their rocket launch and monitored the situation with our allies Japan and South Korea. I can’t get into specifics of the operation, but … with our AEGIS ships, we do have a robust missile-defense capability for the region," Cmdr. Bill Clinton, spokesman for the U.S. 7th Fleet, in Japan, told USA TODAY.

Earlier, Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korea had detected signs that the North had deployed one or two Musudan ballistic missiles in the eastern city of Wonsan.

“This latest missile test is just one in a steady stream — an outpouring, really — of North Korean efforts to publicly demonstrate the strength of their nuclear weapons program. (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un is sending a clear message: ‘The new round of sanctions will not stop us,’” said John Delury, an associate professor at Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies, in Seoul.

Friday’s launch appeared to be timed to coincide with the 104th anniversary of the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il Sung.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported last month that Kim Jong Un issued an order to test a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads

Friday’s attempted launch was the first test-launch by North Korea of this particular version of the weapon. According to Yonhap, the Musudan missile has a range of just under 2,500 miles. That’s enough to threaten not only South Korea and Japan but also Guam, a key hub of the U.S. military’s “re-balance” to the Asia-Pacific region.

Delury said the United States and its allies should not take much comfort in the apparent failure.

“Every time the North Koreans test their nuclear and missile capabilities, they learn something, and get better,” he said.

Last month, the U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea's most recent ballistic missile launches, calling them "unacceptable," a clear violation of U.N. resolutions banning such tests and a threat to regional and international security, the AP reported.

The council met March 18 hours after the North fired a medium-range missile from a site north of Pyongyang that flew about 500 miles before crashing into the sea off the country's east coast. The resolution condemned the North's firing of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on March 10, in response to new sanctions from South Korea.

Pyongyang usually notifies the International Maritime Organization, a global shipping regulation body, in advance of a planned test launch. No such notification had taken place as of Thursday, Yonhap reports.

Brad Glosserman, executive director of the Pacific Forum CSIS, in Honolulu, said the failed test does not necessarily raise the level of tensions any further.

“Had it worked, Pyongyang would have crowed about its success, but it doesn’t shift the balance of power. North Korea knows that any attempt to threaten the Republic of Korea or the United States or Japan will be met with a resolute defense and a reiteration of the U.S. commitment to their defense. The failure merely increases uncertainty on the North Korean side,” Glosserman said.