▲ The site where the missile camel warhead fell


The Ministry of National Defense said, "We are deeply sorry for the baseless and inappropriate allegations," said the Minjoo Party lawmakers who visited the site where the Hyeonmoo-2C missile accident occurred on the night of the 4th and claimed it was "organized cover-up."



In a text message sent to the reporters, the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "Recognizing that there was a risk that the camel could cause damage to soldiers and residents, the Ministry of National Defense and I apologized to you,” he said.



"The military confirmed that there was some minor damage to property and propellant burning due to the collision during the follow-up process inside the base after the abnormal camel occurred, but there was no spread of fire or casualties."



He also explained, "There was absolutely no risk of explosion due to the projectile's camel as the oil storage tank at the airfield was built to withstand enemy shelling and bombing."



“However, the defense members of the Democratic Party of Korea who visited the site claim that they covered up the risk of damage that did not occur, and this is not justified.” rebutted.



The Ministry of National Defense added, "Our military will precisely analyze the cause of the abnormal fall of the Hyunmoo missile and come up with comprehensive measures to prevent such an accident from reoccurring."



Democratic Party lawmakers Byeong-ju Kim, Young-bae Kim, and Ok-ju Song from the National Defense Commission visited the site of a camel accident in the Gangneung Air wing and inspected the launch pad, propellant, and warhead.



Rep. Kim Byung-ju said, "There was a dormitory within 200 to 300 meters from where the propulsion and warheads fell, so the soldiers as well as the citizens of Gangneung were exposed to danger. Because of this problem, we systematically tried to cover it up and reduce it, and we will hold you accountable until the end.”



The propellant was found to have fallen in the middle of an oil storage tank where the oil was stored.



The military fired a Hyunmoo-2C ballistic missile operated by the Army's Missile Strategic Command under the supervision of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at around 11 pm on the 4th in response to North Korea's launch of an IRBM, but the missile soon crashed.



(Photo = Yonhap News)