South Korean ballistic missile malfunctions, explodes in live-fire drill with US after North Korea successfully launches intermediate-range missile

A South Korean ballistic missile malfunctioned and exploded midair on Wednesday during a live-fire drill with the US in response to North Korea's launch of a weapon that soared over Japan and has the range to target the US island of Guam a day before.

The explosion and fire shocked and bewildered residents of Gangneung, a beach community already apprehensive about neighbouring North Korea's increasingly aggressive missile launches. Their suspicions that it was a North Korean attack grew as government and military staff did not explain the blast for hours.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the explosion contained a short-range missile Hyumoo-2 that fell within an air force base on the city's outskirts. According to the assessment, the accident had no effect on facilities of civilians.





Kwon Seong-dong, a governing party Congressman from Gangneung, posted on Facebook that a "weapons system run by our taxpayer money ended up endangering our own people," and he demanded that military conduct a comprehensive investigation into the missile failure. He also chastised the military for failing to announce the incident while maintaining a media blackout on the joint drills.

South Korea's military admitted the malfunction hours after internet users reported the explosion and shared social media videos of an orange ball of flames coming from a location near the air force base. North Korea had earlier fired an intermediate-range missile as part of a weapons test aimed at its foes.

FAQs

1. What is a ballistic missile?
   A missile with a high and arching trajectory is called ballistic missile. It is initially powered and guided but later falls with the help of gravity on to its target.
2. What did the military say about the malfunction?
   The military claimed it was investigating what caused the missile's "abnormal flight."