North Korea test-fires a ballistic missile

North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Friday, two U.S. officials have confirmed to Fox News. The missile has been assessed to be a KN-17, a former Scud missile that officials believe is being tested to one day target ships.

The missile flew roughly 25 miles and was in the air for about 15 minutes, officials tell Fox News. The KN-17 was launched from Pukchang.

>>VIDEO: U.S. officials: North Korea tests ballistic missile

It is not immediately clear if this missile launch was successful. The U.S. Pacific Command and US Strategic command is still assessing.

"The only way a Scud gets a new designation is if it is substantially different," said Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

The KN-17 is a single-stage, liquid-fueled missile -- not the three-stage, solid-fuel missile that North Korea successfully tested back in February, which caused more concern among Pentagon officials.

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