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North Korea attempted a missile launch early Sunday local time but it failed "almost immediately" according to U.S. and South Korean military officials.
The launch was attempted from Sinpo, some 400 miles from Japan, according to U.S. Pacific Command, and came hours before Vice President Mike Pence landed in South Korea on a planned visit.
Early assessments suggested the projectile was not the feared intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the continental U.S., two U.S. military officials told NBC News.
The attempted launch comes just one day after the North held a massive parade to display its military might, including what experts said appeared to be new capabilities for long-range ICBMs. It marks the second time in as many months that a North Korean missile ended in an embarrassing explosion just after launch.