N. Korea’s KN-17 Ballistic Missile Launch Fails: Report

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Saturday that appears to have failed, amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

It was likely a medium-range KN-17 ballistic missile and broke up minutes after launch, the Associated Press reported, citing an unidentified U.S. official. It is reportedly the third launch.

South Korea’s military said the test of the missile took place near Bukchang in South Pyeongan Province at 5:30 a.m. Saturday local time, Yonhap reports.

The unsuccessful test comes as the United States pushed for tougher sanctions to curb the country’s nuclear threat. 

KN-17 was first displayed at North Korea’s annual military parade in Pyongyang on April 16, 2017, where a Scud or No Dong variant was seen carried on a tracked transporter erector launcher.

The first test of the KN-17 likely occurred on April 5, 2017, when the missile was launched from Sinpo in the South Hamgyong province of North Korea. According to U.S. Pacific Command, the missile flew a distance of 60 km and reached a height of 189 km before starting to “pinwheel,” landing into the Sea of Japan after 9 minutes of flight time.

The second suspected launch of the KN-17 occurred on April 16, 2017 from the same base in Sinpo and was also considered to be a failure, blowing up just seconds after launch.