North Korea’s latest L couldn’t have come at a more embarrassing time.
The reclusive state launched a missile on Sunday near the port city of Sinpo; however, U.S. officials said the test was a complete failure and “blew up almost immediately” after it launched.
According to ABC News, the U.S. and South Korean military detected the missile at 11:21 a.m. Hawaii time. Authorities are looking into what kind of missile was used and whether it was launched on land or sea.
The news comes after a week of increasing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, and just one day after the East Asian nation celebrated the 105th anniversary of founder Kim Il Sung’s birth. The festivities included an extravagant military parade, in which it showed off its arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
ABC News reports President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have been briefed on the failed launch, which occurred days after Trump threatened North Korea on Twitter, writing the country is “looking for trouble.”
North Korea’s vice foreign minister, Han Song-ryol, responded to the president’s tweets on Friday, stating the U.S. is “becoming more vicious and aggressive” under Trump, and “we will go to war if they choose.”
