North Korea fired off what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic early Thursday, but the launch seems to have failed, military officials said.

The missile may be the same Musudan model that North Korea tried to launch on April 15, according to sources. 

That missile launched in the North's first Musudan test exploded a few seconds after lifting off from North Korea's east coast.

The military said Thursday's launch also seems to have crashed several seconds after launch. 

"The projectile, presumed to be a Musudan, was fired around 6:40 a.m. from the vicinity of Wonsan, but it appears to have plunged to the earth a few seconds later," an official said. 

"It is highly likely that the launch failed. With that in mind, South Korea and the United States are conducting a detailed assessment," he said. (Yonhap)