North Korea test-fires missile from submarine

North Korea on Saturday test-fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), Seoul's defence ministry said, a day after the United States and South Korea decided to deploy an advanced missile defence system in the South.

The launch was apparently successful but the missile failed in the early stage of flight, the South Korean defence ministry said in a statement.

North Korea previously fired an SLBM on April 23 in a test hailed as an "eye-opening success" by leader Kim Jong-Un, who at the time declared that his country had the ability to strike Seoul and the US whenever it pleased.