North Korea has failed to launch a ballistic missile off its east coast, according to South Korean officials. Tuesday's failure follows the North's three unsuccessful attempts to fire a Musudan missile April. The launch is the latest in a series of North Korean nuclear and missile tests.
Tuesday's test fire may have been of a fourth Musudan missile, which has the capacity to reach nearby Japan, the BBC reports. It occurred despite the U.N. banning North Korea from any such use of ballistic missile technology. In January, the country carried out its fourth nuclear test, which was met with international condemnation.
As news spread of Tuesday's test, Ri Su-yong, the new vice-chairman of North Korea's Workers' Party, arrived in China to meet with officials there. Ri, who was appointed during the party's May congress, is expected to brief Beijing on the outcomes of it. His visit may also be an attempt to repair relations with China, which has not supported the North's weapons tests.
At the May congress, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un said he would continue his nuclear weapons program. He also suggested holding talks with the South, an offer Seoul dismissed as insincere.
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