Residents near fiery South Korean missile crash ‘thought it was a war’

Video filmed by local resident Kim Hee Soo at 11.01pm local time showed a fire flaring from the direction of the base with white smoke rising into the night sky.

Kim, a 43-year-old video creator, said he was working late that night and heard a big explosion and went out to see what was happening. Having an office near a military base, he would often hear noises from exercises and drills, but said it was different this time. He also said that missile launches were conducted without prior notice to residents.

Some people in the area of the failed launch “thought it was a war”.

South Korea’s military confirmed on Wednesday that its Hyunmoo-2 missile had failed shortly after launch and crashed during a joint drill with the United States, in response to North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile over Japan a day earlier.

The military added that the warhead of the missile did not explode, no one was hurt and apologised for worrying local residents.

Reuters