A brief statement issued by the office of the press secretary said only that the Trump administration was aware of the test.
But Trump soon tweeted his reaction: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China and its highly respected president when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"
North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2017
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile early Saturday, local time.
Commander David Benham of U.S. Pacific Command said the missile launch occurred near the Pukchang airfield, north of the capital, Pyongyang, and he confirmed that the missile did not leave North Korean territory.
Benham said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had determined that the missile did not pose a threat to North America.
The launch came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed a special meeting on North Korea at the United Nations. Tillerson called for increased pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.
"All options for responding to future provocations must remain on the table," Tillerson said. He added that diplomatic and financial leverage must be backed up by willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action if necessary.
VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.
This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission