The
failure, which is likely to be seen as something of a public
embarrassment for the regime, came amid soaring tensions in the region
over the North's nuclear weapons ambitions.
"The
missile blew up almost immediately," the US Defence Department said of
the early morning launch which was also detected by the South Korean
military.
Neither
was able to determine immediately what kind of missile was used in the
test, the timing of which appeared very deliberately chosen.
It
came after North Korea displayed nearly 60 missiles -- including what
is suspected to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile -- at a
parade on Saturday to mark the 105th birthday of its founder Kim
Il-Sung.
The
event was held in front of the cameras of invited world media, who were
still in Pyongyang when Sunday's test failure was detected.
