North Korea fails missile launch

"The missile blew up nearly immediately", the U.S. Defense Department said of Sunday's early-morning launch from near Sinpo on the North's east coast.

The visit came one day after Kim's regime launched its latest ballistic missile, although the missile fired early Sunday morning exploded within seconds.

Pyongyang launched the missile hours before Pence arrived in Seoul for talks on curbing the North's weapons programmes as fears grow that it is planning another nuclear weapon test.

"US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our allies in the Republic of Korea and in Japan to maintain security", he said.

North Korea launched a long-range rocket and conducted two nuclear tests past year, including its most powerful to date. "And so it's time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully".

The North has a habit of test-firing missiles to mark major dates such as Saturday's 105th anniversary of the birth of the nation's founder Kim Il Sung, or as gestures of defiance when top USA officials visit the region.

"More vicious": North Korea says US President Donald Trump has added fuel to the tension.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests, including two previous year.

It is not yet known what kind of missile was launched on Sunday although the country has repeatedly said it aims to develop a rocket that could reach the United States mainland.

America's vice president, Mike Pence, is due to arrive in South Korea on Sunday to visit U.S. troops, and the firing of a missile has been viewed as an attempt to send a message of defiance to Washington.

US President Donald Trump has been seeking Beijing's help in denuclearizing Pyongyang, threatening to act alone if China is not willing to offer assistance in this regard.

China, Pyongyang's sole major ally, has warned that the tensions must be stopped from reaching an "irreversible and unmanageable stage".

The Japanese government lodged a protest with North Korea on Sunday over the test-firing of a ballistic missile by the country earlier in the day, saying it was in clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Pointing to the quarter-century since North Korea first obtained nuclear weapons, the vice president said a period of patience followed.

Recent satellite images suggest its main nuclear site is "primed and ready", according to specialist United States website 38North.

After a two-month policy review, officials settled on a policy dubbed "maximum pressure and engagement", US officials said Friday.

Missiles are paraded across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade Saturday in Pyongyang, North Korea.

The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is the highly-fortified border between North and South Korea.

A visitor watches a TV showing file footage of a North Korea's ballistic missile at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, April 16, 2017.

"The message of the people of the United States of America is that we seek peace, but America has always sought peace through strength and my message here today standing with U.S. forces Korea, standing with courageous soldiers from the Republic of Korea is a message of resolve".