17 April 2017

News Report: S Korean National Security Council to Meet After N Korean Failed Missile Launch

South Korea will convene an emergency session of the National Security Council on Sunday, following reports of a seemingly failed missile launch by North Korea, local media reported.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, South Korean military reported registering an apparently failed missile launch by North Korea, with the US Pacific Command confirming the information and adding that the missile "blew up almost immediately."

According to Yonhap news agency, the National Security Council session will be attended by heads of the country's Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Unification and other government agencies.

The officials will reportedly discuss potential response to Pyongyang's actions.

The US Pacific Command and South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff both said they were still working to determine the type of the missile.

The news of the launch come on the next day after a massive military parade was held in Pyongyang to mark the 105th birthday of late former leader Kim Il-sung, at which North Korea reportedly demonstrated what seemed to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Since the beginning of 2016, North Korea carried out a number of missile launches and nuclear tests, prompting worldwide criticism and high tensions on the Korean peninsula.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.