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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean and U.S. defense officials say a North Korean launch of a missile on the birthday of its revered founder appears to have failed.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency carried an unsourced report that the failed launch was of a powerful new mid-range missile that could one day be capable of reaching far-off U.S. military bases in Asia. But the U.S. and South Korean officials have provided few details. If the failure is confirmed, it would be an embarrassing failure for Pyongyang.
The launch comes as the two Koreas trade threats amid the North's anger over annual South Korean-U.S. military drills that the isolated regime calls a rehearsal for an invasion. The North has recently fired a slew of missiles and artillery shells into the sea in an apparent protest against the drills.
There has also been a surge in belligerent threats.
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