Military embarrassed by anti-tank missile test gone wrong

An anti-tank missile veered off its intended trajectory and landed in a rice field near an army shooting range during a test Thursday, South Korea’s military said. No one was hurt.

The test was embarrassing for the military, as a foreign military commander was observing the drill on the scene in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. He made a stop there as part of his trip here to attend a local defense expo.

The military said the test was scheduled in advance and it was not a last-minute decision to entertain guests.

“An explosive ordnance disposal unit is collecting debris and looking into what went wrong,” a military official said, adding that the military could make some change to firing simulations scheduled on Friday that invited foreign guests attending the expo.

Residents living near where the missile landed lodged a complaint with the military unit in charge, which said they would quickly reveal what had gone wrong. Authorities suspect the military could have discounted signs suggesting unfavorable conditions for a missile test but refrained from speaking more on the matter.

Hyungung -- a South Korean portable anti-tank guided missile that went off Thursday -- is the first missile of its kind to be locally built and has been in use since 2017.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)