SEOUL, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday fired what was believed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile but appeared to have failed, Yonhap news agency reported on early Tuesday.

"The DPRK launched a projectile, estimated to have been a Musudan missile, at about 5:20 a.m. local time from the Wonsan area in northeastern DPRK. But the launch appeared to have failed,  " South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.

On late Monday, South Korea's military confirmed that it was tracking signs of possible ballistic missile launch by the DPRK and has made complete preparations for possible launches.