Jessica Durando

USA TODAY

North Korea launched a missile from its east coast early Tuesday local time but it appears to have failed, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

"North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile from the region near Wonsan at around 5:20 a.m., but it is presumed to have been unsuccessful," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to the news agency.

The South Korean military was studying the launch and said it was stepping up surveillance due to signs that North Korea was preparing for a ballistic missile launch.

"We are tracking any missile-related signs and maintain a high state of readiness," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Japan had also put its military on alert Monday for a possible ballistic missile firing.

State broadcaster NHK reported that Japan ordered naval destroyers and Patriot anti-ballistic missile batteries to be ready to shoot down any projectile heading for the country, according to the South Korean news agency.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January. In April, North Korea attempted to fire a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile three times but they all failed, Yonhap News Agency reported.