Kim Byung-joo: "Military fire caused by falling shell during North Korea missile counterfire... Clear operational failure"

"County's Response Explanation Extremely Inadequate"
"If Missile Had Fallen on Civilians or City, Major Damage Would Have Occurred"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the issue of a misfired missile falling during a joint surface-to-surface missile firing exercise over the East Sea in response to North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) provocation on the 5th, calling it a "clear operational failure."

On the same day, Rep. Kim said, "I expect there are many concerns about the missile launch and the misfire news," and added, "I will provide accurate information. At 11 p.m. last night, our military and the U.S. Forces Korea conducted a joint surface-to-surface missile firing exercise in response to North Korea's IRBM provocation. It appears that a total of six missiles were launched: two ATACMS missiles and two Hyunmoo-II missiles from our military, and two ATACMS missiles from the U.S. Forces Korea."

He continued, "One of the Hyunmoo-II missiles malfunctioned and fell, causing a fire about 1.4 km away," adding, "Fortunately, there were no casualties. The military authorities are currently investigating the cause of the misfire."

Rep. Kim pointed out, "The military's response and explanation regarding this matter have been extremely insufficient," and criticized, "In the first press release issued by the military around 7:30 a.m. today, there was no mention of the Hyunmoo-II missile launch, nor was the accident explained." He said, "Since last night, videos and photos of fires and explosions around Gangneung have been spreading on social media, causing the public to be anxious throughout the night, but the military has not provided any explanation. Citizens who were not informed of the training in advance were left in fear. If the missile had fallen near residential areas or urban regions, it would have caused tremendous damage."

Rep. Kim stated, "This is a clear operational failure," and criticized, "The response has been extremely closed-off, and the military is concealing the facts. It is doubtful whether proper follow-up measures will be taken."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.