South Korea

and

the United States

launched 4 surface- to

-ground missiles

in the East China Sea in

response to the provocation

of

North Korea

which yesterday launched a ballistic missile that

flew over

the skies of

Japan

ending up in the sea but forcing the Tokyo authorities to raise the alarm and run citizens to

underground shelters

for safety.

The South Korean and US militaries used

Army Tactical Missile System

(ATACMS) missiles, which accurately hit fictional targets and demonstrated the allies' ability to deter further provocation, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The ATACMS is a tactical surface-to-surface missile, belonging to the category of

short-range ballistic missiles

, in service since 1991 with the US Army and produced by

Lockheed-Martin

in various versions with a range from 140 to 300 km.

The launches were carried out from

the Gangneung base

.

The closest to the North Korean border.

Other videos on the net show

a large fire

burning in the same base, some sources speak of multiple explosions.

The Armed Forces of South Korea admitted that a ballistic missile

malfunctioned

and fell to the ground during the exercise with the United States: the roar of the explosion and the consequent fire caused panic among the residents in the coastal city. of Gangneung, who

feared an attack

from North Korea.

South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said Wednesday (today) that

no one was injured

from the incident Tuesday night. 

Yesterday the North carried

out the first long-range ballistic test in eight months, launching an IRBM missile for about

4,600 kilometers

and flew over Japan

.

The Tokyo authorities have triggered anti-

aircraft alarms

in some northern territories and invited the population to seek shelter in underground shelters.

In response to this and

other shorter-range launches

in recent months, the aforementioned air exercises were held throughout the day which also involved a South Korean

F-15K fighter

that fired two JDAM shells, economic bombs guided by GPS inertial systems, to a target located in a shooting range on an island in the Yellow Sea.