Will Trump Attack North Korea? Kim Jong Un's Latest Missile Launch Fails As VP Pence Flies To Region

Just as Vice President Mike Pence took off for South Korea late Saturday, Kim Jong Un’s regime in neighboring North Korea test-fired a new missile. The launch, however, was a failure and the missile “blew up almost immediately,” according to the U.S. military.

The missile was launched from Sinpo, a port city on the North Korea's eastern coast, along the Sea of Japan, shortly before 6 a.m. local time Sunday (5:30 p.m. EDT Saturday).

South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement: “The North attempted to launch an unidentified missile from near the Sinpo region this morning but it is suspected to have failed.”

Read: Will There Be A Nuclear War Between North Korea And US?

The launch came a day after North Korea carried out a massive military parade to marked the 105th birth anniversary of the regime’s founder and Kim Jong Un’s grandfather Kim Il-Sung. The event saw thousands of North Korean troops, along with the country’s arsenal of missiles, being paraded down the Kim Il-sung square.

Tensions are heightened between North Korea and the U.S., and in a statement ahead of the parade, a spokesman for North Korea’s military said: “Our toughest counteraction against the U.S. and its vassal forces will be taken in such a merciless manner as not to allow the aggressors to survive.”

President Donald Trump has taken a strong position against Pyongyang, tweeting that the country was “looking for trouble” and that the U.S. would take action against its aggression.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement the president and “his military team are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch.” However, he added “the president has no further comment.”

During his visit to Seoul, which is about 182 miles from the launch site of the latest missile, Vice President Pence is expected to issue a warning to Kim Jong Un’s regime that North Korea would face strong consequences if the country’s provocative behavior was not stopped.