North Korea test-fires ballistic missile in defiance of world pressure

People watch a TV broadcasting of a news report on North Korea's missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo: Reuters)

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that failure to curb Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to "catastrophic consequences".

U.S. and South Korean officials said the test, from an area north of the North Korean capital, appeared to have failed, in what would be the North's fourth straight unsuccessful missile test since March.