North Korea's suspected 'monster missile' explodes in mid-air
North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile that exploded in mid-air shortly after launch, South Korea said on Wednesday. The failed launch was likely a test of Pyongyang's so-called "monster missile", analysts have warned. The suspected ballistic missile "seems to have exploded in mid-air shortly after launch," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP. The launch was North Korea's 10th suspected weapons test this year. The US said the nuclear-armed country was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] "at full range" for the first time since 2017. North Korea, despite international sanctions, conducted seven missile tests in January and twice launched components of what it claimed was a "reconnaissance satellite". South Korea and the US said last week those tests were actually of a new ICBM system that has never been launched before. The Hwasong-17, dubbed a "monster missile" by analysts, was first u...