Test gone wrong: A vapour trail believed to be created by a North Korean ballistic missile is seen from Yeonpyeong island near the ‘northern limit line’ sea boundary with North Korea. — AFP
Pyongyang test-fired what appeared to be a hypersonic missile, but the launch ended in a mid-air explosion, an official from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The early morning launch yesterday came just hours after Pyongyang sent another flurry of trash-bearing balloons southward, this time forcing a three-hour halt to flights in and out of South Korea’s Incheon airport.
The missile took off from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 5.30am local time and South Korean and US intelligence agencies were conducting a detailed analysis, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The JCS official said the test of what appeared to be a hypersonic missile ended in failure after a journey of some 250km.
More smoke than usual appeared to emanate from the missile, raising the possibility of combustion issues, the official said, adding it may have been powered by solid propellants.
Japan also confirmed the launch, with its coast guard saying the missile splashed down in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
The test follows North Korea launching hundreds more trash-carrying balloons southward on Monday and Tuesday, the latest in a series of border barrages that have sparked a tit-for-tat propaganda campaign.
Seoul’s military said the balloons were carrying “mostly paper waste” that posed no safety risk to the public.
But the latest batch of North Korean balloons disrupted takeoffs and landings at Incheon International Airport, an official said.
Both domestic and international flight arrivals and departures “were suspended ... from 1.46am to 4.43am (local time),” an Incheon International Airport Corporation official said yesterday.
“At around 4.08am (local time), it was confirmed that a trash-carrying balloon had fallen near Gate 248 of T2, and military authorities collected it. The airport is operating as normal since 4.44am (local time),” the official added.Pyongyang has already sent more than a thousand balloons carrying trash in what it says is retaliation for balloons carrying propaganda criticising leader Kim Jong-un’s rule floated north by activists.
In response, Seoul has fully suspended a tension-reducing military deal and restarted some propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers along the border. — AFP
