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Missile launch during joint maneuvers by South Korea and the USA: this missile fell into the sea;
another had a false start
Photo:
HANDOUT / AFP
During a military exercise, a missile from the South Korean army fell to the ground after a false launch.
As reported by the Yonhap news agency, citing the South Korean general staff, no one was injured in the accident.
The specialist medium NK News, citing the military, reported that a warhead integrated in the missile had not exploded.
The missile was launched from a military base near the South Korean east coast city of Gangneung.
The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Unconfirmed videos circulated on social media showing a massive fire near the base.
Panic broke out among some residents of Gangneung, initially fearing an attack by North Korea.
A number of South Koreans on the online platforms criticized that the country's major media only reported on the incident around nine hours later.
The South Korean military apologized for causing concern among residents.
The false start occurred as part of a joint military maneuver with the United States.
Armed forces of both countries fired several surface-to-surface missiles towards the Sea of Japan (East Sea) on Wednesday.
As the South Korean military announced, both sides fired two rockets that hit decoy targets precisely.
This demonstrated the ability of the allies to deter further provocations by North Korea.
Just a day earlier, North Korea had fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan.
It was the first time a North Korean missile had flown over the Japanese archipelago in almost five years.
You can read more about the new provocation from Pyongyang - and how it fuels nuclear fears - here.
aar/dpa