South Korea fires test rocket unannounced causing stir throughout nation

A solid-fuel rocket being fired in a test from Taean County, South Chungcheong on Friday [YONHAP].

A solid-fuel rocket was fired unannounced from southwest South Korea, leading to reports around the country of unidentified flying objects and mysterious lights in the sky.

The Defense Ministry confirmed after the fact that a rocket was launched from Taean County, South Chungcheong, and said it was a space launch vehicle.

“We tested a solid-fuel space launch vehicle as part of our efforts to strengthen our national defense and space-based surveillance and reconnaissance,” the Defense Ministry said via a statement. “While we took precautions, including clearing the airspace and the sea in the launch path before the test, we did not notify the public for military security reasons.”

Social media was soon swamped with photos of a serpentine contrail in the sky and questions about whether aliens had landed. Some posts claimed that the event was visible from Japan.

"I spotted something that looked like fireworks rising from the mountain,” said a woman who saw the rocket on her way to Chuncheon, Gangwon. “And soon after rising up, there was a huge light shining down like those from a helicopter.”

The woman said the event started at about 6:05 p.m. and was over about 10 minutes later.

“Was I witnessing an alien spaceship?" the witness asked.

According to JoongAng Ilbo, the rocket was fired from the Agency for Defense Development's (ADD) Anheung Test Center. The center has been in use since 1993.

A test launch of a domestically developed solid-fuel rocket was conducted from the ADD in March. The type of rocket tested is capable of putting small satellites into orbit.

Friday's launch came just a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the ADD and called on the professionals working there to be ever vigilant and always prepared for war.

It also came less than a week after an unprecedented raid across the demilitarized zone by five North Korean drones. The president was furious that the military was unable to shoot down the invading aircraft despite the unmanned aerial vehicles being present in South Korean airspace for hours.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]