Arrived in south korea a short time ago. His plane landed in seoul just hours after the latest provocation from pyongyang, north korea. Early sunday, the regime of kim jongun tried but failed to test another missile. South korean Officials Say the launch attempt was made from the port city of sinpo on the east coast. A u. S. Official says the landbased rocket malfunctioned almost immediately and exploded. Cnn correspondents are covering these developments all across asia. Alexandra field is live in seoul. Matt rivers is in beijing. And will ripley is one of the few western journalists in north korea right now. Were going to start with alex. What more can you tell us about apparently this failed Missile Launch from north korea . Reporter well, were learning what u. S. Officials know. They believe this was a failed attempt, that this launch failed wng four to five seconds of the time that it was launched and that it happened at the same site where there was a previous attempt earlier this month. This kind of Missile Launch test doesnt come as any surprise. Its not taking the world by surprise. Tensions have been very high on the Korean Peninsula this week. There was a great deal of expectation that kim jongun, north koreas dictator, would try and pull off some kind of provocative action. There had been suggestions coming out of washington, coming out of the u. S. , that evidence shows that country is ready to pull off its sixth nuclear test at any moment. There had been some speculation they could conduct a test like that to coincide with the holiday that they celebrated in north korea yesterday, which is the most important day on the calendar. That didnt come to bear, but when day broke in this region, there was what is being called this failed Missile Launch. The big question for everyone was how the u. S. Would react if pyongyang decided to carry through with some kind of provocative measure. Well remind our viewers here, ivan, that they have moved u. S. Warships into the region, the waters off the Korean Peninsula, as a deterrent against provocation from pyongyang. All indications were getting from washington right now are that there really wont be a reaction. They have acknowledged that a failed test happened. Really, there will be no response beyond that. The thinking there is that theres no need to give any more attention to kim jongun, no more focus to pyongyang at this moment because of this failed attempt, which again flouts so many sanctions that have been handed down. This is the fifth attempt at a ballistic Missile Launch just since the start of the year, as well as last years unprecedented number of Missile Launch, ivan. All right. Thanks, alex. Were going to go now to the north of the Demilitarized Zone to will ripley standing by in pyongyang. Will, do you have the opportunity to ask north korean officials about this reported Missile Launch and apparent failure . Reporter yeah, we had a meeting with north korean officials today, ivan. Certainly there are members of the north korean government, people who are elite, who have access to outside media who are aware of these reports. However, there will be no official comment, no acknowledgment by north korea that this has happened. As a general rule, north korean propaganda doesnt report about their military tests when theyre failures. However, they do herald and trumpet their successes. Weve seen in the past when there have been successful Missile Launches, photos and videos released showing the north Korean Leader kim jongun presiding over the site, giving the order, and when north korea tries to launch another missile, because its not if but when, and if it is a success, then you can expect an announcement from the North Koreans. Might not happen immediately though. Sometimes these things are you know, the videos are edited, screened, approved, then the nws comes outside inside north korea up to 24 hours after the event, even though the rest of the world might have been talking about it for quite some time. Will, you heard alex talking about how the Ballistic Missiles, the Nuclear Tests are all banned according to United NationsSecurity Council resolutions. When you ask north korean officials about that, how do they respond . Reporter well, they dont think that its fair. They think that other countries have been allowed to develop and obtain Nuclear Arsenals and successful missile programs, and they feel the mind set here, its a militaristic mind set where its almost like north korea against the world. Even their closest ally, or patron, if you will, china, still theres an adversarial relationship there. Kim jongun has never met with xi jinping. The most highprofile meeting they had was early on when he came to power, and he met with dennis rodman, the nba star. This is a country that feels its taken a difficult path, has had to go it alone. Theyre convinced their system is the right system, at least the government thats in power is convinced of that. In this awe to betariuthoritari anybody you ask on the street also feels this is the right path for the country. They feel justified in developing these develops to protect their national sovereignty. They say they dont want to use them but arent afraid to if they feel provoked or cornered by the United States. All right. Im going to turn to china and our man in beijing. Thats matt rivers. Were hearing reports now that u. S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson just spoke with the chinese top diplomat, presumably about korea. We know that washington has been pressing beijing for years, decades, to come down harder on north korea and its program for developing weapons of mass destruction. You can almost imagine how some of that phone conversation may have played out, right . Reporter yeah, no details yet on that call between the top diplomat here in china and secretary of state Rex Tillerson. But youre right. Both sides, ivan, have really made their positions known quite clearly. On the u. S. Side, they very strongly believe under the Trump Administration that china should be using its economic leverage that it has quite a bit of over pyongyang to get the kim jongun regime to stop developing these weapons, to stop Testing Nuclear devices and missiles. What china very swiftly and consistently argues is that the United States needs to return to the negotiating table. If washington and pyongyang dont sit down and talk, there can be no lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. These are longheld positions from both sides. The question moving forward is, is there any middle ground there . Can there be some sort of an agreement that can come between china and the United States . That would go a long way towards potentially solving this ongoing crisis in north korea. At least at the moment, the two sides do seem to be pretty far apart. And quickly, matt, any official confirmation from the chinese about the alleged north korean Missile Launch . The chinese, no. As far as we have heard so far, weve gotten no statement from the ministry of Foreign Affairs on this. But they usually will acknowledge it. It could just be its a sunday and theyre not really responding. We havent heard anything specifically, but they are consistent. They always condemn it. They say these launches violate International Law and serve to make an already tension situation that much worse. Thats right. Some people do take a day of rest today. Lets go back to south korea, to alexandra field, who happens to be at the headquarters for the u. S. Military in south korea. The u. S. Vice president mike pence just arrived in south korea. What kind of message is he bringing to this longtime american ally, which is right next door to north korea . Reporter look, everything about this trip, ivan, is designed to reflect and endorse the alliance between the u. S. And south korea. A very longstanding alliance, some 60 years now. This is the headquarters for the u. S. Military in south korea. Its also the headquarters for the combined command here. So these are two militaries that work closely together, some 30,000 u. S. Servicemen and women who live here, working hand in hand with hundreds of thousands of Korean Service members. Thats the reason why Vice President mike pence is coming here. Hes having an Easter Service with the troops, both from the u. S. And south korea, then having a dinner with them. It is an affirmation of the alliance between these two countries. Its also a personal trip to some extent for Vice President mike pence, whos escorted by his family. His father is a korean war veteran. This trip started for Vice President pence with a visit to the cemetery, the National Cemetery here to honor those who fought. He then came here to meet with troops, but it gets serious after this point. He goes on to meet with the acting president of the south korea. From here, hell go on to tokyo, where hell meet with the prime minister. Theyll be tackling head on the question about what to do to counter the growing north Korean Nuclear threat. You have another provocation again from north korea this morning, that failed Missile Launch. What theyre really talking about now is a wider view, the longterm strategy, the secretary of state from the u. S. Had been out here last month announce that the era of strategic patience was over. So whats the response now . What role will the u. S. Take . Those are all questions the Vice President will talking about as he continues his tour through asia, ivan. And alex, this isnt just a time of regional tension. Its also a time of deep uncertainty in south korea, this critical american ally with Big Questions about the future leadership of the country right now, right . Reporter right. Youve had an elected president who was impeached and ousted from office. Now youve got an acting president who has been tasked with meeting with these highlevel u. S. Officials and trying to chart the course forward. The Vice President , the secretary of state, the secretary of defense. But this acting president wont even be in office in a couple weeks. Its important right now during this president ial election to sort of take the pulse of the country. That previous president was impeached. She was a conservative party president. The conservative party had been in power for some ten years in south korea. They advocate a very tough stance toward north korea. The candidates leading in the polls now are a Democratic Party candidate and a center left candidate. Those are parties which have traditionally taken a different kind of approach to north korea, have argued for more open communication. Theyve been somewhat more resistant to the u. S. Missile Defense System that the conservative party here in south korea had signed off on. So thats sort of a wild card factor here. Who is the next president and how could that next president S Administration intend to shape policy toward north korea and continue to work on this relationship with the u. S. Its a bit awkward, to say the least, ivan. Its a good point. Now, will ripley, i think youre Still Standing by in pyongyang. I know that this is just the latest of many trips youve made to the hermit kingdom. Im wondering in this sleepless week of reporting youve had there, if there are any takeaways from this latest week of reporting and at this time of tension in the region. Reporter yeah, this is my 11th trip to the country. I have to say, this is probably the first time that i have had what i would consider to be some very authentic, fairly deep conversations with North Koreans, both in the government capacity or those working for nongovernment agencies. We see a lot of officials at the military parade and other events that were hosted for the international media. I have had discussions with north korean, ranging from older, in their 50s and 60s, to North Koreans in their 20s. The Younger Generation here, many of them speak fluent english. Theyre well educated. Theyre aware of whats happening in the world. Yet, they firmly believe their system is the right system. They say they believe in their leader, kim jongun. But they also desire more prosperity for north korea. They desire a seat at the table for north korea in the international community. They hope for a peaceful environment where north korea, with its system, is allowed to exist. They hope for reunification of the Korean Peninsula, for the north and south to come back together but in a way that still a i lows their system, their socialist system to survive. What strikes me is the depth of these conversations. These are not robotic people who have been consuming propaganda and dont have individual opinions. They do. And they can acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of other countries, including the United States and its system. They still strongly believe that they have a right to exist as a country. Thats what they say they hope for. Putting politics aside, putting the government aside, i hope that some day the north Korean People do have an opportunity to interact with the Global Community because i think there are a lot of smart minds here and people have a lot to offer the world. Thats a good note to end on there. I want to thank our excellent correspondents for sharing their expertise and their input from different sides of the region. So we have alexandra field in south korea, will ripley in north korea, and matt rivers, of course, in the chinese capital. Thank you to all of you. Now, moving on, in the wake of north koreas failed missile test, heres a brief look at the recent history of the hermit kingdoms weapons and Missile Development programs. Last june the regime test fired an intermediate range Ballistic Missile called the musudan. It flew about 400 kilometers before landing in the sea. In august, poyongyang had its most successful test firing of a submarine launched missile. Then north korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to da date. In february this year, pyongyang fired a new Ballistic Missile, the kn15, that traveled some 500 kilometers. Last month, the regime fired four Ballistic Missiles eastward and three of them landed within 200 nautical miles of japans coastline. On april 5th, less than two weeks ago, north korea launched another missile that landed in the sea off its east coast. Earlier, i spoke to a senior fellow at the center for defense studies at kings college, london. I asked him if theres anything washington can do to stop north korea and its efforts to develop Nuclear Weapons and intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. I think there is still an option for negotiation. For some time now, there has been talk of entering what we term a grand bargain with the North Koreans. President trump has already indicated his willingness to talk to kim jongun, and i think provided the United States and its allies set realistic objectives, then an agreement could possibly be reached with the North Koreans. To understand what you can achieve, we must understand two things. Number one, the North Koreans will never give up their Nuclear Weapons. That horse has long bolted. Anybody who talks about the North Koreans being prepared to denuclearize is living in a fantasy world. Were going to have to accept that the North Koreans will continue whatever agreement is reached to retain their Nuclear Weapons. The second parameter of these discussions is this, that i cannot believe that any u. S. Administration would tolerate a capability of the North Koreans to target the continental United States with Nuclear Armed missiles. So within those two parameters, negotiations are going to have to take place. And lets just be clear. With the saber rattling, with the Aircraft Carrier strike groups from the u. S. That is now steaming towards the Korean Peninsula, youve got both sides flexing their muscles now, but if one side was to shoot, the potential consequences on the Korean Peninsula would be catas