North Korea's attempted missile test from its east coast early on Tuesday has failed, South Korean military officials said.
The latest missile test failure has come after three similar cases of misfire in April when Pyongyang could not successfully launch its medium-range "Musudan" missile.
It is not clear if the latest attempt was to fire another Musudan missile. The failed launch took place at around 5:20 a.m. Seoul time (2020 GMT), said South Korean officials told Reuters.
The Musudan missile is supposed to have the range to reach any part of Japan and the US territory of Guam.
Japan had put its military alert on Monday in view of the impending missile test by North Korea.
The Musudan missile has a key place in North's defence strategy and the regime aims to boost its capability to reach the US military bases in Asia and the Pacific
Earlier this year, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that vastly expanded sanctions on North Korea after its nuclear and alleged ballistic missile tests.
Ten years after the country came under severe sanctions, Pyongyang said in early January it 'successfully' tested its first hydrogen bomb, exacerbating the security scenario in the region.
It was followed up with a rocket launch earlier this month, where Pyongyang claimed it placed an earth observation satellite into orbit. But that led to concerns that it was another milestone in Pyongyang's programme to build a long-range missile that can carry arsenal including nuclear weapons.
