North Korea launched a missile from its east coast in the early morning of Tuesday, but the launch appears to have failed, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

"North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile from the region near Wonsan at around 5:20 a.m., but it is presumed to have been unsuccessful," the JCS said in a brief text message.

The military is studying details of the launch and is maintaining a high level of combat preparedness, the JCS said.

Sources said the launched missile could be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile. Pyongyang fired off three Musudan missiles in April, which all ended in failure. (Yonhap)