North Korea's missile explodes within seconds of launch

North Korea's latest missile launch appears to have ended in failure, Seoul's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The North fired a missile from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan on Wednesday, but the launch ended in a failure.

It said it was analyzing what type of missile North Korea launched.

Japanese authorities provided backing the South's report, with Kyodo News saying it believed the test may have failed.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government had not confirmed whether the missiles were trying to be fired towards Japan.

'US Pacific Command detected what we assess was a failed North Korean missile launch attempt ... in the vicinity of Kalma,' a spokesman for US Pacific Command, Commander Dave Benham, said.

'A missile appears to have exploded within seconds of launch," the Daily Mail cited him a saying.