North Korea's Missile Launch Ends In Failure Amid Fears Of Kim Jong-Un Acquiring Spy Satellite

South Korea military said that North Korea’s latest weapons launch on Wednesday failed.

According to Associated Press, it wasn’t immediately clear which weapon North Korea launched on Wednesday morning or at what stage it apparently failed.

South Korea’s military said that North Korea fired an “unknown projectile” which seemed to fail soon after launch, reported Reuters. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that the projectile was fired from an airfield outside the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. The statement read that it is "presumed that it failed immediately after launch."

The Wednesday launch comes after America and South Korea warned that North Korea might be preparing to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first time since 2017. It was seen as possibly North Korea’s biggest long-range missile in its most significant provocation in years.

The latest launch, which is the 10th of its kind this year, shows that North Korea is determined to press ahead on its push to modernize its weapons arsenal. It also shows that the country wants to pressure its rivals into making concessions amid dormant denuclearization talks.

According to experts, past weapons launch failures still have moved North Korea closer to its goal of acquiring a viable nuclear arsenal that could threaten the US. Out of eight “Musudan” intermediate-range missiles tests in 2016, only one of those launches was seen successful by outside analysts. It led to debates of whether North Korea’s path toward ICBMs had been cut off.

But in 2017, North Korea flew more powerful intermediate-range missiles over Japan. The country also conducted three successful test-flights of ICBMs that demonstrated a potential range to strike deep into the US mainland.

Meanwhile, North Korea has said that it tested cameras and other systems for a spy satellite. It released what it said were pictures taken from space during one of the two tests. It wasn't confirmed what rocket or missile was launched.

North Korea aims to boost its ICBM capability while trying to place its first spy satellite into orbit, according to experts. Among an array of sophisticated weapons systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un says he needs to cope with what he calls American hostility, he has vowed to acquire an improved ICBM and a spy satellite.