In response, the general staff of the North Korean armed forces threatened to launch a strike against USA military bases in Japan and South Korea, as well as the presidential residence in Seoul in case of U.S. aggression.
The test launch came on the day after North Korea's military arsenal was displayed at a parade in Pyongyang.
Earlier Monday, Pence visited with US troops at Camp Bonifas, just south of the DMZ. -South Korean military camp, which is just outside the 2.5-mile (4.02-kilometer)-wide DMZ.
Tension had escalated sharply in the region amid concerns that the reclusive North may soon conduct a sixth nuclear test or a ballistic missile test launch timed with the April 15 anniversary it calls the "Day of the Sun".
"I think the (Trump) administration anticipated that a ballistic missile launch would occur, and I have to wonder whether they were prepared to use the ships that are with that carrier group to shoot down that missile" as long as the ships were positioned in the right spots, Bennett said.
President Donald Trump is asserting that China is working with the United States on "the North Korea problem". This matters because while North Korea regularly launches short-range missiles, it is also developing mid-range and long-range missiles meant to target U.S. troops in Asia and, eventually, the United States mainland.
But Trump says he will take on North Korea with or without China's help. His visit comes just after a failed missile launch by the North. "And our president will take action that is in the best interest of the American people", he said.
The fact that any new ICBM would be in a canister is important because it means those missiles would likely be solid-fueled, analysts said. The administration's immediate emphasis, they said, was to be on increasing pressure on Pyongyang with the help of Beijing.
The officials weren't authorized to speak publicly on the results of the policy review and requested anonymity.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says Trump and his military team "are aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch. But dialogue for the sake of having dialogue is meaningless".
It comes a day after North Korea warned the United States that it was "ready to hit back with nuclear attacks" amid mounting tension in the region. Abe also urged China and Russian Federation to play more constructive roles on the issue.
North Korea missile launch test fails
The U.S. nuclear-powered Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group is also heading to the region. "It's a failed test". The missile was launched from the same point of the April 5 launch, a White house foreign policy adviser said .
Mr Pence voiced impatience with the unwillingness of Kim Jong-Un's regime to move towards getting rid of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
After a two-month policy review, the Trump administration has settled on a policy toward the North that relies on "maximum pressure and engagement", US officials said Friday.
If North Korea has ICBMs, it could give it the ability to strike targets in the mainland U.S. and Europe. North and South Korea are technically still at war because their 1950-1953 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.
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".
At the Panmunjom Joint Security Area, which Pence visited Monday, North and South Korean soldiers stand watch feet away from each other, the only place where the two forces come face to face.
Pence will try to steer clear of South Korea's tumultuous domestic politics ahead of elections next month.
The Pences also attended Easter Sunday church services and had dinner with U.S. and South Korean members of the military at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul.
"The point we have consistently made is that each country involved should refrain from behaviors that provoke one another and fuel their tension further and that they should make efforts to ease the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula", the spokesman said.
The national security adviser said the latest failed test "fits into a pattern of provocative and destabilizing and threatening behavior on the part of the North Korean regime".
Tensions are deepening as the US has sent an aircraft carrier to waters off the peninsula and is conducting its biggest-ever joint military exercises with South Korea.
Comments