SEOUL, South Korea, Sha'ban 24, 1437, May 31, 2016, SPA -- A North Korean missile launch likely failed on Tuesday, the U.S. and South Korean militaries said, the fourth in a series of high-profile failures that somewhat temper recent worries that the North is pushing quickly toward its goal of a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach America's mainland, according to AP. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile was a powerful intermediate-range Musudan, which could potentially reach U.S. military bases in Asia and the Pacific. Yonhap cited an unidentified government source as saying the missile exploded at a mobile launch pad as soon as the launch button was pressed. The report, if confirmed, suggests the missile may have even failed to lift off. Yonhap did not say how its source obtained the information. South Korea's military couldn't confirm the report. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile early in the morning from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan, but that it likely failed. It released no other details. The U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement that its assessment also indicated that the launch was a failure. It condemned the launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from using ballistic missile technology. --SPA 22:56 LOCAL TIME 19:56 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w