South Korea missile falls during drill, alarming residents who feared attack from the North

The malfunction occurred during a live-fire exercise with the US, which came hours after Pyongyang sent an IRBM flying over Japan
Internet users shared videos of an orange ball of flames as a Hyunmoo-2 missile crashed on land

South Korea

Associated Press

Published: 7:43am, 5 Oct 2022

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A South Korean ballistic missile malfunctioned and fell on land during a live-fire drill with the United States, with sound of the blast and subsequent fire triggering panic among residents in the coastal city of Gangneung.

They feared an attack from increasingly hostile North Korea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that no one was hurt from the accident on Tuesday night.

It said the military was investigating why the Hyunmoo-2 missile malfunctioned, and that the warhead of the missile did not explode.

South Korean media reported the missile fell within the perimeter of a base in Gangneung.

01:49

Japan, US hold joint drill within hours of North Korea missile launch

The military acknowledged the accident hours after internet users posted videos showing an orange ball of flames emerging from an area they described as near a Gangneung air force base.

It also apologised on Wednesday for causing residents to worry.

The live-fire drill came hours after North Korea flew a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that crossed Japan in its most provocative weapons demonstration in years.

Tuesday’s launch extended a record number of North Korean launches this year as the country pushes to develop a fully fledged nuclear arsenal capable of threatening the US mainland and its allies with the goal of wresting concessions from those countries.

That launch has prompted a US aircraft carrier to be redeployed to waters east of South Korea on Wednesday.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan left the Sea of Japan off the Korean peninsula after a joint naval drill involving South Korea, the United States and Japan last week, but will return, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

“Such a return by an aircraft carrier is very unusual” and underscores the South Korea-US alliance’s “strong willingness to take determined measures against any provocations from North Korea,” the statement said.

Japan, US hold joint drill soon after N. Korea missile

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and US militaries successfully fired a total of four Army Tactical Missile Systems missiles during the exercise that it said was aimed at showing its precision strike capabilities against the North.

The allies earlier on Tuesday launched fighter planes that fired weapons at a target off South Korea’s west coast in another show of strength.

North Korea has fired nearly 40 ballistic missiles over about 20 different launch events this year, exploiting Russia’s war on Ukraine and a deepened division in the UN Security Council to accelerate arms development.

The United States, Britain, France, Albania, Norway and Ireland called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the latest North Korean launch. Diplomats said it is likely to be held on Wednesday, but it’s not certain whether it will be open or closed.

Additional reporting by Reuters, Kyodo