North Korean Missile Explodes Shortly after Test Launch

North Korea fired a missile from its capital region, on Wednesday, and it exploded soon after liftoff in an apparent failed weapons launch.

South Korean military reported the launching amid speculation that the North is preparing to launch its longest-range missile in its most significant provocation in years.

The missile blew up while it was flying at an altitude of fewer than 12.4 miles, according to a South Korean military official, saying the cause of the explosion wasn't known.

Moreover, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff has pointed out that the launching was made from the Pyongyang region at around 9:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. Tuesday EDT).

Yonhap News Agency has previously reported that North Korea is working to restore underground tunnels of its purportedly demolished Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

The agency indicated that North Korea had started work to remove South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort on its east coast.

The moves may heighten tensions between the North and the South as Seoul said Pyongyang could engage in provocative acts after its veiled threat in January to lift a voluntary moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.