North Korea Attempts Short-range Ballistic Missiles Launch Into Sea Of Japan, Fails

North Korea reportedly launched a series of projectiles into the Sea of Japan today which according to US Pacific Command (USPACOM) appears to be three short-range ballistic missiles.

However, the missile test was a failure, according to the US military. "Initial assessment indicates three short-range ballistic missile launches," the USPACOM statement read. "The first and third missiles at 11:49 a.m. and 12:19 p.m. failed in flight. The second missile launch at 12:07 p.m. appears to have blown up almost immediately".

The recent development comes after North Korea repeatedly threatened to attack Guam, a Pacific island territory of the US that carries a large American military presence.

On Wednesday, the North Korean state news agency KCNA published a photo that showed schematics for a new intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile and a new ICBM behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

This is the 13th North Korean missile or missile component test thus far this year. The last missile launch was on July 28, a test of the long-range Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could potentially strike the US mainland.