Hyunmoo missile crashes in South Korean base during joint drills

South Korea and the United States hold a joint drill at an unspecified location on Wednesday. [JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF]

A Hyunmoo missile crashed in a South Korean military base in the early hours Wednesday during a joint drill by South Korea and the United States in response to North Korea’s launching of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) the day before, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Without specifying the exact location and time of the drills, the JCS said that South Korea and the United States each launched two Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) missiles during the drill, which accurately hit mock targets and demonstrated the allies’ capability to deter further provocations. A Hyunmoo-2 missile was also fired, which crashed immediately after the launch due to an abnormal flight path.

The JCS said that there were no injuries due to the incident and that it was looking into the exact cause of the abnormality.

Residents around the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon, reported a fire and loud noise as if from an explosion from around the 18th Fighter Wing of the Gangneung Airbase at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. The joint drill had been embargoed until 5 a.m. Wednesday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]