N.Korean missile test fails for fourth straight time

A file picture of a ballistic missile test off the northeast coast of North Korea on May 9, 2015. – EPA/KCNA South

SEOUL: North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said, defying warnings from the United States and the reclusive state's main ally, China, which have tried for years to rein in its arms programmes.

The test, from an area north of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, appeared to have failed, U.S. and South Korean officials said, in what would be North Korea's fourth successive unsuccessful missile test since March.