South Korea missile failure and Japan warning system faulty: North Korea
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
North Korea launched a ballistic missile for training purposes over the airspace of Japan. Yet, the response by Japan and South Korea was far from perfect.
It transpires that the Japanese warning system malfunctioned. Also, a ballistic missile launched by South Korea blew up in this country shortly after being launched. Therefore, North Korea will be judging the abject failure of both nations – that rely on America for military assistance.
Hirokazu Matsuno, the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, informed people that the J-Alert warning system malfunctioned. Hence, the warning system sent incorrect information to several towns and villages that were not in the path of the North Korean ballistic missile.
Matsuno said, “We apologize for causing concern to residents in the nine towns and villages… We will promptly improve the problem in the system and work to prevent a recurrence.”
South Korea’s response also witnessed an abject failure. This concerns the South Korean Hyumoo-2 ballistic missile that crashed shortly after being launched – in response to North Korea’s ballistic missile launch.
The malfunctioning missile was heard in Gangneung (South Korea). Immediately, this worried people who thought North Korea was responsible. However, it was a malfunctioning South Korean missile that caused alarm.
The Associated Press reports, “The military said the test was meant to be a show of strength by South Korea and the United States, following North Korea’s firing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that crossed over Japan early Tuesday in North Korea’s most provocative weapons demonstration in years.”
The Korea Herald reports, “There were no local news reports relating to either the missile launches or the explosion. It was later found that no media reports were released, as local media outlets were under a media embargo on the joint exercises.”
Thus the show of strength by South Korea turned into an abject failure. The Guardian says, rather than showing South Korea’s strength “it ended in embarrassment when a short-range Hyumoo-2 ballistic missile crashed to the ground inside an air force base near the South Korean coastal city of Gangneung.”
Luckily, no people were injured by the failed ballistic missile launched by South Korea.
However, some citizens in Japan were warned despite never being in the flight path of North Korea’s ballistic missile – while citizens in South Korea heard a loud bang but no immediate news on what happened. Therefore, one farce followed the other.
Modern Tokyo Times reported yesterday, “North Korea is modernizing its military program in Northeast Asia aimed at America, Japan, and South Korea. In the past, Japan took a more passive stance. Hence, even during the Tiananmen Square crisis in Communist China, the government of Japan didn’t apply hostile policies. On the contrary, Japan continued to focus on the economic angle between China and Japan.”
The launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea that entered Japan’s airspace is nothing new – even if the first time since 2017.
Reuters reports, “It was the first North Korean missile to follow such a trajectory since 2017, and its estimated 4,600 km (2,850 miles) range was the longest traveled by a North Korean test missile, which are usually “lofted” high into space to avoid flying over neighboring countries.”
However, the shoddy failures of Japan and South Korea to the North Korean ballistic missile are alarming.
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