The White House believes that Sunday's test involved a medium-range ballistic missile that failed within 4-5 seconds after launch, and that it did not involve an intercontinental ballistic missile, the foreign policy adviser said.
Lt Gen HR McMaster told ABC News there was consensus with China that this was a "situation that just can't continue". Lu Chao, director of the Border Studies Institute at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said the latest test, despite its failure, could be another defiant message from Pyongyang that it will not change its tough stance in the face of U.S. pressure even amid a growing threat of military action.
Mr Yang said the two sides should maintain dialogue.
South Korea's foreign ministry said by conducting the latest test just a day after displaying a series of missiles, "North Korea has threatened the whole world".
His comments come after North Korea conducted a failed missile launch Sunday. "Our commitment to this historic alliance with the courageous people of South Korea has never been stronger".
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Mr Pence was beginning a 10-day trip to Asia, including Australia, in what his aides said was a sign of United States commitment to its allies in the face of rising tension.
The failed launch will sting in Pyongyang because it came a day after one of the biggest North Korean propaganda events of the year- celebrations of the 105th birthday of late North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather.
Pence was beginning a 10-day trip to Asia in what his aides said was a sign of United States commitment to its ally in the face of rising tension. In a statement, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Trump and his military team "are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch". The strike on Syria was followed by the use of the GBU-42 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb on Isis positions in Afghanistan, with the dropping of the weapon also likely a signal to North Korea - whose rhetoric over the threat of war in the Asia-Pacific region had itself been escalating.
With US Vice President Mike Pence also touching down in Seoul in South Korea, it is clear that US officials are making a concerted diplomatic push to try and get the situation in North Korea under control and reassure allies in the region.
Thornberry said it is unclear how close North Korea is to developing a missile that could reach the U.S. The briefer noted that China had already turned back ships bearing coal from the North.
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