North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Test

North Korea launched a ballistic missile test around 5pm ET Friday (6am Saturday Seoul time), NBC News reports. The launch—an apparent failure—was confirmed by US and South Korean officials. One US official tells the AP the projectile was likely a medium-range KN-17 missile. The official says the missile broke up and fell into the Sea of Japan minutes after it launched. According to AFP, the South Korean military says the missile exploded seconds after launch. "The launch was unsuccessful and exploded in midair," a South Korean military official tells NBC.

South Korean officials are still trying to figure out how far the missile traveled before exploding. It was launched from an area north of Pyongyang. The test comes amid a growing war of words between North Korea and the Trump administration. On Thursday, President Trump said the US and North Korea were on the path toward a "major, major conflict." UN resolutions bar North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests, though it's already launched several this year.