The South Korean military says North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday but the test apparently failed shortly after launch.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) shared the assessment in a text message sent to journalists around 10:06 a.m., adding that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are conducting further analysis.

Military authorities are said to be focusing on determining whether the latest launch is related to an intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM). The Sunan area is where the North had launched projectiles on February 27 and March 5, assessed by U.S. and South Korean authorities as tests of North Korea’s new ICBM system.

The remarks by the JCS come after Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported at just past 9:30 a.m. that the North launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile.

[Photo : YONHAP News]