- The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that no one was injured in the explosion.
A damaged South Korean ballistic missile exploded as it crashed into the ground on Wednesday during a live-fire drill conducted by South Korea and the US as part of joint exercises after South Korea launched a ballistic missile. North.
The incident sparked panic among residents of the coastal city of Gangneung, east of Seoul, who were already concerned about North Korea’s weapons tests. Not receiving any official statement from the authorities for hours, the population came to think that it could be an attack launched by the neighboring country, collects AP.
The South Korean military spoke out about the missile explosion after videos of a fire in an area that netizens say is close to an Air Force base appeared on social media. According to the agency, the causes of the missile’s “abnormal flight” are currently being investigated.
Likewise, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that no one was injured by the explosion involving a short-range Hyumoo-2 missile, and that no civilian installations were affected.
For their part, the Fire Department and the Gangneung City Council reported that the Army did not allow the entry of emergency teams sent to the Air Force base and a nearby military base after the incident.
Previously, it had been reported that South Korea and the US fired four ‘ground-to-ground’ class missiles this day as part of their joint exercises. The projectiles were launched into the Sea of Japan and, according to the Yonhap news agency, “accurately hit simulated targets and demonstrated the allies’ ability to deter further provocations.”
This Tuesday, North Korea fired a missile that flew over the prefectures of Hokkaido and Aomori, in northern Japan, and finally fell outside the exclusive economic zone of the Asian country, in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
According to Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, Pyongyang probably launched a Hwasong-12 intercontinental ballistic missile. He also added that the weapon would have achieved a record range in the history of North Korea’s weapons tests, as it flew about 4,600 kilometers over the Japanese archipelago.