North Korea’s attempted missile launch irks Xinhua

Even Pyongyang's diplomatic backer China angered by the launches in the face of U.N. curbs that Beijing has also backed.

Visitors take their souvenir pictures at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border with North Korea, in Paju, in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, April 15, 2016. A North Korean launch of a missile on the birthday of its revered founder appears to have failed, South Korean and U.S. defence officials said Friday.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said on Friday that North Korea’s firing of an intermediate range ballistic missile was, despite its failure, the country’s latest example of sabre-rattling.

“The firing of a mid-range ballistic missile on Friday by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), though failed, marks the latest in a string of sabre-rattling that, if unchecked, will lead the country to nowhere,” it said in an English language commentary.

Most important ally

China is North Korea’s most important economic and diplomatic backer, but it has been angered by Pyongyang's nuclear tests and rocket launches in the face of United Nations sanctions that China has also backed.

The failed launch follows the North’s fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch in February.