North Korea comes close to bombing one of its own cities by accident

MarketWatch ^ | 01/04/18 | MarketWatch Staff

[AngelesCrestHighway]

A North Korean ballistic missile crashed into a city near the country’s capital Pyongyang in April, narrowly avoiding a “catastrophic accident” in a populated area, according to a report in The Diplomat. The Hwasong-12 was launched from Pukchang Airfield in a test on April 28, but its engines stopped working after one minute of low-altitude powered flight. The intermediate-range ballistic missile plunged to earth near the city of Tokchon, where it likely caused “considerable damage to a complex of industrial or agricultural buildings,” the current affairs magazine said in its report Wednesday. There was likely a “large explosion upon impact,” it added. While the accident probably resulted in few casualties, if any, the outcome could have been much worse with a slight difference in trajectory, the report said. The Tokchon facility, about 24 miles from the launch site, is close to a civilian area with commercial and residential buildings. North Korea has continued to carry out missile tests despite UN sanctions, though most concerns center on its capacity to successfully fire intercontinental-range ballistic missiles — ICBMs, rather than IRBMs like the Hwasong-12.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

He escaped...they couldn’t hit him...

[dennisw]

Fun photos. Thanks!