US defence officials announced on 15 July that North Korea ’s most recent missile launch had ended in failure . The event , which was timed to mark the birthday of the country ’s founder , and involved a powerful mid - range missile , ended swiftly with the missile exploding seconds after taking off . The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the missile launched from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America. The US has said that it appears to have been a Musudan missile ( capable of attacking US military bases in Asia and the Pacific ) fired from a mobile launcher . US Defense Secretary , Ash Carter , commented that although the test had been unsuccessful it was “ another provocation by North Korea in a region that does n’t need that kind of behavior . ”
US defence officials announced on 15 July that North Korea ’s most recent missile launch had ended in failure . The event , which was timed to mark the birthday of the country ’s founder , and involved a powerful mid - range missile , ended swiftly with the missile exploding seconds after taking off . The US has said that it appears to have been a Musudan missile ( capable of attacking US military bases in Asia and the Pacific ) fired from a mobile launcher . US Defense Secretary , Ash Carter , commented that although the test had been unsuccessful it was “ another provocation by North Korea in a region that does n’t need that kind of behavior . ”