North Korea’s New Ballistic Missile Launch Fails

North Korea’s attempt to launch an unidentified ballistic missile from its east coast on early Sunday has reportedly failed.

Pyongyang fired off the missile from a land-based launch facility in Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 6:20 a.m., South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told Yonhap. However, JCS could not identify the type of missile.

The purported test came shortly after large-scale military parade at the central square of Pyongyang held on Saturday, during which a submarine-based ballistic missile (SLBM) was showcased for the first time.

Official North Korean news agency has been silent about the launch, as some say it could be because the attempt ended up as a failure.

The Japanese government has set up a special committee to gather information about the launch. "Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe also instructed all relevant agencies to gather and analyze information," the government announced in a statement.

Yonhap reported citing some experts as saying that the failed launch might indicate the North has difficulty in developing solid-fuel engines for a new missile or the Scud-ER missile. Or the launch could be part of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development program.