North Korea missile test fails before Pence visit

Hours after North Korea paraded its weaponry and attempted a missile launch, President Trump's national security adviser said the USA leader will not allow Kim Jong Un's regime to have the capacity to threaten the U.S.

A North Korean missile exploded during launch Sunday from the country's east coast, USA and South Korean officials said, a high-profile failure that comes as a powerful US aircraft carrier approaches the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea Sunday morning, landing at the U.S. Air Force's Osan Air Base just hours after North Korea's failed missile launch.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in a call with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula on Sunday.

Reflecting on his dad on his first day in South Korea, Pence said, "I think about what Dad would be thinking about and is thinking about as he looks down - at this third son - to return to the place he came so many years ago and the commitment that endures here that has resulted in a free and prosperous South Korea".

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the latest test but had "no further comment".

In an appearance on CNN, House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) said that despite indications that Beijing is concerned about nuclear proliferation in North Korea, the Chinese government is still supporting the Korean economy and its nuclear program.

The North has yet to formally announce it has an operational ICBM, but experts and intelligence officials have warned it could be less than two years away from achieving an inter-continental strike capability.

Pyongyang's rogue atomic ambitions have come into sharp focus in recent weeks, with United States President Donald Trump vowing a tough stance against the North and threatening unilateral action if China failed to help curb its neighbour's nuclear programme. This time, it paraded its latest missile hardware through the capital Pyongyang, showing off many new weapons.

Trump acknowledged on Sunday that the softer line he had taken on China's management of its currency was linked to China's help on the North Korea issue. "The problem will be taken care of".

Tension had escalated sharply amid concern the North may conduct a sixth nuclear test or a ballistic missile test around Saturday's celebration of Kim Il Sung's birthday, which it calls the "Day of the Sun". The installation has begun but some opposition politicians have raised questions about it.

McMaster also discussed the Syria situation, saying it remains to be seen if more US troops are needed there.

"It's moving but candidly until they get a president".

The South's presidential election is on May 9.

Asked during a news conference Wednesday whether he thought he could negotiate a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping over his nation's currency practices, Trump said, "We're going to see, we're going to see about that". But what would actually happen in a renewed US - Korea war? "And I guess that's what worries people the most".

The crew destroyed intelligence in the sub and tried to make it back to North Korea, but all but one were killed or captured by South Korean forces.

Company worker Rim Chung Ryol, 30, said he had not heard of the test.

Trump has suggested that the USA will take a tougher stance against North Korea, telling reporters last week: "North Korea is a problem".

"If it is a failure, then failure is the mother of success", he told Reuters.

The Trump administration has not indicated publicly it is interested in reviving moribund diplomatic negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. April 15 is meant to be focused completely on honoring Kim Il Sung and by extension his son, Kim Jong Il, and grandson, current leader Kim Jong Un.