N.Korean Missile Test 'Fails'

North Korea seems to have failed again in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday after a previous failure in March, sources here said Thursday.

State media have kept quiet about the launch attempt, which is itself a good indication that it went awry. A government source here said, "It seems that the North failed to solve a defect in the missile," which is believed to be the same one that blew up in mid-air a few seconds after launch on March 16. 

According to a military source, the ICBM's second-stage engine stopped for unknown reasons during ascent after the first-stage engine was extinguished.

South Korean military radars detected debris from the missile, which seem to have been shed when it was deliberately blown up to prevent the first-stage engine from falling on a residential area.

The missile, dubbed Hwasong-17 by Western boffins but not North Korea, was unveiled during a military parade in October 2020. It is 23 to 24 m long and had to be carried on a 22-wheeled mobile launch vehicle.

With its estimated range of 13,000 km, it would be capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. The missile was also on display during a nighttime parade marking the 90th anniversary of the North Korean army last month.