‘Spent Hyeonmu Warhead’ Found 700m from Residential Area

Hyunmoo-2C Missile Initially Aimed at East Sea but Flew in the Opposite Direction

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 4th, the warhead of the Hyunmoo-2C missile, launched by the military in response to North Korea's missile provocation, was found about 700 meters away from a residential area.

According to a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official on the 5th, the Hyunmoo-2C missile was originally aimed at the East Sea but flew abnormally and headed west. It flew in the exact opposite direction.

There are three types of Hyunmoo missiles: A, B, and C. This is the first time that a Hyunmoo-2C missile was misfired during a live-fire exercise responding to North Korea's provocation. The missile launched on the 4th separated over Gongju, and the warhead did not explode; only the propulsion system burned out. The warhead fell about 700 meters away from a residential area, and the propulsion system was found 1.4 km from the launch site.

After the fall of the missile on that day, the on-site unit controlled access of personnel and vehicles within a 300-meter radius, the danger zone for warhead explosion, and evacuated stationed troops to a safe area. The ATACMS firing was conducted after confirming no abnormalities on the missile's exterior and verifying firing parameters three times as a safety measure. ATACMS resumed firing around 12:50 a.m. that day, with both South Korean and U.S. sides firing two missiles each. The military stated that it will seek improvements regarding the previously problematic insufficient notification to residents after the accident.

A JCS official said, "The propellant in the propulsion system burned out quickly, so it did not spread into a large fire, and fortunately, no casualties were reported," adding, "However, we apologize for not sufficiently informing the residents after the accident."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party criticized the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Presidential Office's National Security Office for allegedly trying to systematically cover up the accident in which the Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile launched by the military flew abnormally and caused a missile fall accident within Gangneung Air Force Base.

Kim Byung-joo, a former Army General and the Democratic Party's Defense Committee secretary, said, "The public was curious whether the flames that occurred at 11 p.m. on the 4th were from a bomb or a fighter jet crash, but no announcement was made," and added, "There are reports that the military blocked the Gangneung Fire Station from responding, saying they would handle it themselves."

Kim Young-bae said, "The reality of South Korea's defense is that the opposition party's Defense Committee secretary has to call the Minister of National Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff several times first to confirm," and added, "This shows the serious security gap of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."

The Democratic Party announced that it will question the Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile fall accident at the National Defense Committee's audit targeting the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 6th.

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