WASHINGTON - The U.S. military says it's detected what's being described as a failed missile launch by North Korea.

A military statement says the launch occurred near the northwestern city of Kusong and that the missile is presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The military says launch was attempted at 11:33 p.m. EDT Friday (12:03 p.m. Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defense officials have said the North doesn't yet have such a weapon.

In August, Japanese and South Korean officials said a medium-range ballistic missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters.