SEOUL, South Korea — Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday described a failed missile test by North Korea as the type of “provocation” that the Trump administration is resolved to confront.

“This morning’s provocation from the North is just the latest reminder of the risks each one of you face each and every day in the defense of the freedom of the people of South Korea and the defense of America in this part of the world,” Pence told U.S. troops at a dinner in Seoul at the start of a long-planned visit aimed in part at reassuring a nervous ally.

“Our commitment to this historic alliance with the courageous people of South Korea has never been stronger, and with your help and God’s help, freedom will ever prevail on this peninsula.”

Pence’s first official trip to Asia as vice president, part of a 10-day regional tour, gained new significance over the weekend as North Korea attempted to project its military might.

Tension between North Korea and the United States had already grown to levels not seen in years. Both countries exchanged heated rhetoric in recent days about Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear and missile programs, and an American aircraft carrier group was diverted to the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.

The vice president landed in Seoul on Sunday just hours after North Korea attempted to launch what security officials believe was a medium-range ballistic missile near the seaside city of Sinpo — a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The missile test apparently failed, but the intent still prompted concern among American officials and the South Korean government.

The previous day, North Korea paraded dozens of missiles and other military hardware through the streets of its capital in a massive, choreographed display of its advancing military capability — and its defiance of other nations’ desire to contain it.

The vice president, his aides said, learned about the missile test en route to South Korea, about an hour after taking off from Anchorage. Pence then discussed the issue with President Donald Trump, who in recent days has made several tough statements about North Korea on social media.

Speaking on ABC’s Sunday news program “This Week,” Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said the president “will take action” if North Korea continued to threaten the U.S. But he did not offer specifics about what kind of action the administration is contemplating.

On the plane, a White House foreign policy adviser who briefed a pool of reporters suggested that the U.S. knew about the launch before it happened, and said that it appeared to be a test of a medium-range missile, not an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“It was not an ICBM,” the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We had good intelligence before the launch and good intelligence after the launch. It failed after about four to five seconds.”

He said there was no point in the U.S. taking any action in response to the launch. “It’s a failed test, it follows another failed test, so (there’s) really no need to reinforce their failure.”

However, he added: “We’ve got options; we’ve got a range of options both militarily, diplomatic and others, so we have a wide array of tools at (our) disposal for the president should he choose to use them.”

Trump did tweet about North Korea on Sunday, suggesting that China was working with his administration on a solution to the problem.

North Korea has launched nearly 50 ballistic missiles since Kim Jong Un took office.

Many such tests have been successful, with the devices traveling hundreds of miles before landing in adjacent seas. None has threatened the U.S. mainland, though Kim has said that remains a national goal.

Many of the nation’s missiles are, however, capable of striking targets in Seoul and Tokyo.

In Seoul, Pence attended an Easter church service with some of the 28,000 U.S. forces in South Korea.

He also visited Seoul National Cemetery, placing a wreath at a memorial wall.

Today, Pence visited a military base near the DMZ separating North and South Korea and has meetings scheduled with South Korea’s acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Chung Sye-kyun, speaker of the national Legislature. Pence is also expected to bring an economic message during a session with business leaders.

He next travels to Japan, Indonesia and Australia before returning to the U.S.

Washington Bureau’s Tracy Wilkinson contributed.