Earlier in the day, South Korean military said it registered what appeared to be Pyongyang's failed attempt to launch a missile from Sinpo, South Hamgyong province, with US Pacific Command confirming the information and adding that the missile "blew up nearly immediately".
While the North did not conduct a nuclear test, the specter of a potential escalated US response trailed Pence as he began a 10-day trip to Asia amid increasing tensions and heated rhetoric.
The American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its support vessels are now approaching the Korean peninsula.
No planned response is expected from the Trump administration because the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's initial understanding of the launch, said there was no need for the U.S.to reinforce the failure.
More directly on North Korea, the president returned to a theme of placing much onus on China for reining in the North.
Pence's 10-day trip to the region also includes stops in Japan, Indonesia and Australia, with a stop in Hawaii on his return to the U.S. The trip follows the North's failed missile test, which was timed to the birth anniversary of the country's late founder and Saturday's military parade in its capital, Pyongyang. He has repeatedly said if China, North Korea's dominant trading partner, is unwilling to do more to pressure the North, the US might take the matter into its own hands.
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After a two-month policy review, officials settled on a policy dubbed "maximum pressure and engagement", USA officials said Friday. Recent satellite imagery suggests the country could conduct another underground nuclear test at any time.
The official said that had it been a nuclear test, "other actions would have been taken by the U.S". His visit comes just after a failed missile launch by the North.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis said that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the failed launch and has no comment at this time. "I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea". The country launched a long-range rocket and conducted the two nuclear tests past year, including its most powerful to date. "If they are unable to do so, the US, with its allies, will!" he tweeted Thursday.
Washington and Seoul will try hard to figure out what exactly North Korea fired.
Sinpo, a port city in eastern North Korea, was also the site of a ballistic missile test earlier this month in which the projectile fell into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea. It has said it has developed and would launch a missile that can strike the mainland United States but officials and experts believe it is some time away from mastering the necessary technology.
South Korea, which hosts 28,500 USA troops, warned of punitive action if the launch led to further provocations such as a nuclear test or a long-range missile launch. "The North doesn't seem to be quite at the place to test an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)", he said. Last year, Pyongyang attempted to launch a Musudan missile on April 15, an auspicious date on which millions celebrate Kim II Sung's birthday.
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