![\"North](\"https:\/\/ichef-1.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/1485F\/production\/_95836048_a475c6e7-2c51-46a8-bbfe-21811daa8b95.jpg\")
<\/span><\/figure>\nIn 2003 six-party talks – involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia – were launched to address concerns over the North’s nuclear programme. But Pyongyang withdrew from the negotiations in 2009.<\/p>\n
US ‘armada arrives’<\/strong><\/p>\n Tensions in the region have increased lately, with both North and South Korea conducting military exercises.<\/p>\n North Korea is believed to be continuing efforts to miniaturise nuclear warheads and fit them on long-range missiles capable of reaching the US.<\/p>\n It is not known what kind of missile was unsuccessfully launched on Saturday. However, US officials told Reuters news agency that it was probably a medium-range missile known as a KN-17.<\/p>\n The land-based, anti-ship ballistic missile has already had two failures.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and supporting warships have arrived on the Korean peninsula.<\/p>\n The US has threatened to use military force in North Korea if necessary.<\/p>\n In an interview with CBS on Saturday, Mr Trump said he would “not be happy” if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un went ahead with a further nuclear test.<\/p>\n Asked whether that would mean US military action, he said “I don’t know. I mean, we’ll see.”<\/p>\n Are the missile failures unusual?<\/strong><\/p>\n North Korea has had two failed missile launches this month – but that does not mean they will always fail, an expert has said.<\/p>\n Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, told the BBC this was to be expected when testing a new missile as there was such a variety of things which could go wrong.<\/p>\n “Every time you have a new missile there are going to be growing pains,” he said. “There is nothing unusual if it is new missiles.<\/p>\n “It will fail until it doesn’t.<\/p>\n “In fact, the [American] rocket which put Alan Shepard [the first US man] in space was known as ‘Old Reliable’, but it failed nine out of 10 of its first tests.”<\/p>\n Data collected by his institute also suggested North Korea’s old missiles “work just fine”, he added.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n Pope Francis has called for international mediation to ease rising tensions between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang’s nuclear activity. The pontiff suggested that Norway, for example, was “always ready to help”. He warned the crisis risked sparking a devastating war in which “a good part of humanity” would be destroyed. His comments came […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[3,160,6691,594],"yoast_head":"\n![\"map](\"https:\/\/ichef-1.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/11439\/production\/_95831707_northkorearegion976.png\")
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