Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea along with his family on Easter shortly after a failed North Korean missile launch that some claim may have been 'thwarted by cyber attacks from the US.'

North Korea attempted to fire a medium range missile that it introduced at a massive military parade, however, the weapon blew up roughly five seconds after being launched from a site near the port city of Sinpo.

Of its failure, former British conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind told the BBC on Sunday: 'It could have failed because the system is not competent enough to make it work, but there is a very strong belief that the US - through cyber methods - has been successful on several occasions in interrupting these sorts of tests and making them fail.'

Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland appeared on Fox News Sunday and declined to say whether the U.S. cyber-sabotaged North Korea's failed missile launch.

After attending Easter church services with service members at the U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, Pence said at a fellowship dinner that North Korea's 'provocation' is another reminder of the risks that U.S. and South Korean service members face every day 'in the defense of the freedom of the people of South Korea and the defense of America in this part of the world.'

Pence, who will spend the next 10 days touring Asia with his wife, Karen, and daughters Audrey and Charlotte, added that the willingness of military members 'to stand firm without fear inspires the nation and inspires the world.'

The vice president began his trip by laying a wreath at the Seoul National Cemetery where he was photographed with his wife alongside a South Korean official as all three wore distinctive white gloves.

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Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea shortly after a failed North Korean missile launch that may have been thwarted by cyber attacks from the U.S. Pence is pictured with his wife Karen (left) visiting Seoul National Cemetery on Sunday

North Korea attempted to fire a medium range missile that it introduced at a massive military parade Saturday (pictured above), however, the weapon blew up roughly five seconds after being launched from a site near the port city of Sinpo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (above center) is pictured arriving for the military parade in Pyongyang marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung

Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers marching through Kim Il-Sung square during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea on Saturday

Korean People's Polaris missiles being displayed in front of a grandstand adorning portraits of the country's leaders of thousands of spectators on Saturday

This map shows the approximate location of Donald Trump's armada which he sent to the Korean Peninsula - the location of the missile launch in the Sinpo area of the South Hamkyong Province is also shown above

At the cemetery, VPOTUS and the Second Lady picked up three scoops of incense and dropped them into an urn in front of the wreath.

'At Seoul National Cemetery, I laid a wreath to honor South Koreans who sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom,' Pence, who is the son of a Korean War veteran and displays his late father's Bronze Star in his office, tweeted on Sunday.

A White House official traveling with Pence to told the New York Times the US had 'good intel' both before and after the launch.

Pence's visit comes amid the turmoil over North Korea's threats to advance its growing nuclear and defense capabilities.

During her appearance on Fox News Sunday, McFarland noted that 'we are entering a whole new era, not just with North Korea but with everybody.'

'With any country, major country, we are entering a cyber platform, a cyber battlefield. That is where a lot of the wars of the future are going to be fought,' she said.

She added, 'we all understand that the Korean peninsula should be denuclearized.'

The failed missile is thought to be one of the country's new 'game-changer' intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which was revealed to the world in a display of military might.

According to a military official the weapon is 'presumed to be a new ICBM' as it is longer than the existing KN-08 or KN-14 missiles.

Mike Pence waves to the crowds as he lands in South Korea (left) and is greeted upon his arrival (right) on Sunday

Mike Pence (center) is welcomed upon his arrival at the US Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaeck on Sunday

Pence burns incense in front of his wife Karen, right, at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea during a wreath laying ceremony

Pence, second right in front, pays a silent tribute with his wife Karen, second from left, at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea, at the beginning of his 10-day tour of Asia

US defense secretary James Mattis said President Donald Trump was 'aware' of the launch and had no further comment.

The South Korean defense ministry said in a statement: 'North Korea attempted to test an unidentified type of missile from Sinpo area in the South Hamkyong Province this morning, but we suspect the launch has failed.'

In a statement, the US military said: 'U.S. Pacific Command detected and tracked what we assess was a North Korean missile launch at 11:21 a.m. Hawaii time April 15.

'The launch of the ballistic missile occurred near Sinpo.

'The missile blew up almost immediately. The type of missile is still being assessed.

'U.S. Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our allies in the Republic of Korea and in Japan to maintain security.'

The Foreign Office has said it is 'concerned by reports of a missile test by North Korea' and is 'monitoring the situation closely'.

North Korea's ballistic missiles being displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader and the nation's founder Kim Il-Sung

Two of the missiles thought to be dubbed North Korea's 'game changing' weapons are paraded through Kim Il-Sung square

Thousands of heavily-armed soldiers march as part of the Easter weekend celebrations in North Korea on Saturday

The display of military might in the North Korean capital Pyongyang was held as Kim Jong-Un warned of an 'annihilating strike' if the US attacks

It comes just hours after North Korea unveiled new weapons during a display of the country's military might in the country's capital Pyongyang as Kim Jong-Un warned of an 'annihilating strike' if the US attacks.

It has left Trump juggling North Korea, China and Russia after a string of threats and promises he made from Washington.

Before meeting Chinese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the beginning of the month, he said if China did not intervene in North Korea, the US would 'take care of it'.

Then when Russia refused to condemn Syria's chemical attack in Idlib a week later, Trump came out to say relations were at an all time low having praised Russian President Vladimir Putin during his election campaign.

It appeared as though The Oval Office was focused on Moscow and its relationship with Syrian President Bashar Assad, but after the failed missile launch and with Mike Pence's tour of Asia starting Sunday, the emphasis may have shifted again to the North and China.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang threatened 'catastrophic consequences' when Trump sent an armada of warships to the Korean Peninsula.

An unidentified rocket is displayed during Saturday's parade, with experts voicing fears that it could have a range of 9,000 miles

Military vehicles carrying the KN-11 missile - which can be launched from a submarine - and potentially gives the country a limited nuclear second strike capability

Military vehicles carry missiles with characters reading 'Pukkuksong' during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father, Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang

Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle during the Easter Service in the Christ The Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, Russia on Sunday

At the same time, China has moved 150,000 troops to its border to deal with a possible influx of North Korean refugees amid fears Trump may strike Kim following the surprise US missile attack on Syria last week.

The intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which Pyongyang claim could travel thousands of miles, have increased concerns that the secretive state is preparing for a possible attack on Washington after they were paraded during the country's Day of the Sun celebrations.

A gleeful Kim, wearing a Western-style suit at Kim Il-sung Square, saluted formations of soldiers who yelled out 'long live' to celebrate the 105th anniversary of his grandfather's birth.

The festivities, celebrating the 105th birthday of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong-un's grandfather, took place amid concerns that North Korea is possibly preparing for its sixth nuclear test or a significant rocket launch, such as its first flight test of an ICBM

North Korean soldiers on mobile missile launchers as they are paraded across Kim Il Sung Square during Saturday's military parade

Kim Jong-un was noticeably relaxed and appeared happy as he attended the 'Day of the Sun' military parade on Saturday in Kim Il Sung square - which celebrates his grandfather - the founder of North Korea

The two new kinds of ICBM were enclosed in canister launchers mounted on the back of transporter erector launcher trucks as they were paraded in front of crowds during Sunday's festivities.

Pyongyang has yet to formally announce it has an operational ICBM but experts believe they the new rockets could be liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, or an early prototype.

Submarine-launched ballistic missiles were also among the military hardware on show for the first time.

It indicates an improving technological capability that could help it evade anti-missile systems.

Kim has accused Trump of provoking his nation towards armed conflict with a series of increasingly aggressive moves, including sending the USS Carl Vinson to the Korean peninsula.

One of Kim's top officials, Choe Ryong Hae, vowed North Korea would 'beat down enemies with the power of nuclear justice'.

Thousands of North Korean troops armed with rifles took part in the show of force, which saw North Korea flaunt sophisticated new military hardware Saturday

Suited North Korean men wave flowers above their heads in a colorful celebration in Pyongyang on Saturday

WHAT'S NEXT FOR NORTH KOREA? Though tensions had been rising dangerously between Washington and Pyongyang in the lead-up to the April 15 anniversary, the biggest holiday of the year in North Korea, the heightened rhetoric and saber-rattling on both sides could begin to cool down - a pattern that has been common in recent years, especially in the spring, when the U.S. and South Korea stage their huge annual war games. But this year, there is a new issue. In an interview with The Associated Press, a senior North Korean official said Friday that Pyongyang has determined that Trump is 'more vicious and aggressive' than his predecessor, Barack Obama. And Pyongyang is vowing it won't back down. Though North Korea didn't launch any missiles to mark the anniversary day, it did show them off in a military parade - and in a surprising number and variety. The focus on missiles large and small at the parade was meant to send a signal that the North is able to project its power well beyond its own borders. At the very least, to U.S. military bases in Japan. At the most, to the mainland United States itself. Physicist and North Korea nuclear watcher David Albright, of the Institute for Science and International Security, estimated in a report last week provided to The Associated Press that through 2020, North Korea will have enough plutonium and weapon-grade uranium for about 25-50 nuclear weapons. But he also noted that the North has several options to diversify and expand its capabilities. It could, for example, use its experimental light water reactor to have enough plutonium and weapon-grade uranium 'for up to 60 nuclear weapons by the end of 2020,' Albright said. 'Significantly higher estimates are possible if North Korea significantly expands its gas centrifuge program and dramatically boosts its production and separation of plutonium over what is assumed in the current analysis,' he added. Moreover, Albright said, continued underground testing will provide the North with opportunities to significantly improve its ability to make weapons that require less fissile, are more compact and have higher explosive yields. Developing a thermonuclear weapon - an H-bomb - is a declared priority of North Korea. According to Albright, it appears capable of doing so. And, at the current pace, that could be on Trump's watch. April 15 isn't the only big anniversary in North Korea this month. The country's military marks the anniversary of its founding on April 25, and some experts believe the chances of a nuclear test or missile launch around that date may be higher than they were on Kim Il Sung's birth anniversary. There are two reasons for that. April 15 is intended to be focused completely on honoring Kim Il Sung and by extension his son, Kim Jong Il, and grandson, current leader Kim Jong Un. A test or launch on that day could distract from that focus, especially if it were to fail. The second reason is that the April 25 anniversary is explicitly a military observation. While a failure would still be embarrassing, it wouldn't be quite as bad. More likely, if there is still going to be a test or launch designed to make a political statement, it could be timed just before or after April 25 to further dilute the potential PR impact of a failure. Advertisement

He told the packed-out square: 'If the United States wages reckless provocation against us, our revolutionary power will instantly counter with annihilating strike, and we will respond to full-out war with full-out war and to nuclear war with our style of nuclear strike warfare.'

In his annual New Year's address, Kim said North Korea's preparations for an ICBM launch had 'reached the final stage'.

Recent satellite imagery suggests the country could conduct another underground nuclear test at any time.

Reports of the launch from the country's east coast came after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told the rogue state it must adhere to UN resolutions in order to secure peace.

As international tension heightened over the country's nuclear weapons program in the face of fierce American criticism of the Pyongyang regime, Johnson said the situation needed to be looked at carefully.

'We have been here before but continue to monitor the situation carefully.

He added: 'We stand alongside our international partners in making clear that North Korea must adhere to UN resolutions designed to secure peace and stability in the region and stop its pursuit of nuclear weapons.'

As concern about the situation mounted, there were reports that Trump's military advisers have assured the UK that America has the capability to neutralize North Korea's nuclear program using conventional weapons.

It could come in the form of a preemptive strike with US national security adviser General HR McMaster apparently telling British security chiefs and military top brass that Washington has the intelligence to target key sites in the nuclear program.

Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has been briefed by his US equivalent General James Mattis on American options for dealing with North Korea in recent weeks, The Sunday Times reported.

The Ministry of Defense said it never comments on private conversations between Sir Michael and his international counterparts.