North Korea test fires another ballistic missile

The missile launched from an area north of Pyongyang, and exploded seconds after launch, the South Korean military said. The U.S. military also said the missile broke up mid-flight over land.

The White House said it was aware of the missile test and that President Trump has been briefed. President Trump scolded North Korea for being “Bad!” after it launched a ballistic missile on Friday.

In the same tweet from Trump on Friday, he also said the launch, which the U.S. military concluded broke apart in mid-air, “disrespected” China and its “highly respected” president, Xi Jinping.

U.S. Pacific Command said it detected a North Korean ballistic missile launch from Pukchang airfield at 10:33 a.m. Hawaii time.

“The missile did not leave North Korean territory,” said U.S. Pacific Command spokesperson Cmdr. Dave Benham in a statement. He added that the North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile did not pose a threat to North America.

“North Korea fired an unidentified missile from a site in the vicinity of Bukchang in Pyeongannam-do (South Pyeongan Province) early this morning,” the South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.

It’s not yet clear what model of missile was used and the distance it flew.

The launch comes less than two weeks after North Korea’s last attempted missile test, which U.S. military officials say blew up moments after launch.

On Thursday, Trump warned there is a chance of “a major, major conflict with North Korea.”

Trump made the comment in an interview with Reuters, one day after members of his national security team briefed all 100 senators with an update on the “urgent threat” posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Trump added that solving the North Korea problem without armed conflict would be preferable, but that it would not be easy.

“We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult,” he said.