Show-Of-Force Fail: South Korean Missile Malfunctions And Crashes, Causing Panic

What was supposed to be a South Korean show of force ended in humiliation on Wednesday as a ballistic missile malfunctioned and crashed near a South Korean city, triggering panic. There were no injuries — beyond those to the military’s own reputation.

According to the Associated Press, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, a short-range missile blew up on an air force base near the coastal city of Gangneung. South Korean authorities said the warhead did not explode. 

Video purporting to show the fiery aftermath circulated on social media: 

South Korea bombed its own military base when its missile launch failed. pic.twitter.com/TsIIH5SD1N

— Sentletse 🇷🇺🇿🇦 (@Sentletse) October 5, 2022

The failed missile launch was part of a broader saber-rattling response to North Korea’s successful launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew over Japanese airspace on Tuesday.

That missile demonstrated a record distance capability for a North Korean missile. It was said to have traveled some 2,800 miles, with analysts saying it has the range to hit the bases on the U.S. territory of Guam.  

In their ensuing show-of-force drills, U.S. F-16 and South Korean F-15 fighter jets on Tuesday hit an island target off South Korea’s west coast, using Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs. Wednesday brought surface-to-surface missile launches. 

The embarrassment over the misfire was compounded by the South Korean military’s inept handling of the incident, reports AP:  

The explosion and subsequent fire panicked and confused residents of the coastal city of Gangneung, who were already uneasy over the increasingly provocative weapons tests by rival North Korea.

Their concern that it could be a North Korean attack only grew as the military and government officials provided no explanation about the explosion for hours.

Posting on Facebook, legislator Kwon Seong-dong, who represents Gangneung, said a “weapons system operated by our blood-like taxpayer money ended up threatening our own people.” He also assailed the military’s prolonged silence: “It was an irresponsible response. They don’t even have an official press release yet.”

The errant missile was a Hyunmoo-2, which the Center for Strategic and International Studies describes as a short-range, solid-fueled ballistic missile. Fired from road-mobile launchers, recent variants are about 42 feet long, carry high explosive payloads and have a range of 500 miles. 

A South Korean Hyunmoo-2 missile (Photo via CSIS)

The U.S.-South Korean show of force will soon be buttressed by the presence an aircraft carrier: The USS Ronald Reagan is being deployed to the waters east of the peninsula. 

The UN Security Council is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss North Korea’s missile launch. With China and Russia resisting a public discussion of the issue, it’s unclear if they will instead meet privately. Either way, there’s little expectation of a substantial response.