North Korea launched a missile from a submarine, but it failed almost immediately

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from a submarine on Saturday, the South Korean military reports, but the weapon appears to have failed almost immediately. The missile's engine did ignite, but it traveled only a few kilometers before exploding in midair.

The launch was condemned by South Korea, Japan, and the United States as a "clear challenge to U.N. Security Council resolutions," which a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department noted "explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology."

The launch attempt comes soon after North Korea labeled new U.S. sanctions on despotic leader Kim Jong Un a "declaration of war." The isolated nation has a longstanding obsession with military prowess.

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