Missile Explosion

[Anchor Lead]

A few days ago, a surface-to-air missile was fired by accident near an Air Force base. The missile exploded in the air. An investigation conducted by the Air Force has revealed that the mistake was made by mechanics who were checking the missile.

[Pkg]

On March 18, the Cheongung medium-range surface-to-air missile was accidentally fired during maintenance checkup. About three and a half seconds following its inadvertent launch, it exploded in the air. The Air Force set up a task force to investigate the matter. Three days later, the investigation revealed that the accident was caused by human error. The investigators concluded that the missile was fired not because of technical defects but due to a simple mistake made by the mechanics.

[Soundbite] Cho Se-young(Lt. Col., Air Force) : "Due to poor communication, the mechanics failed to disconnect the tactical cables during the checkup."

Cables that transmit signals to the launch pad are divided into yellow for tactical purposes and white for testing. Therefore, the yellow cables must be disconnected during maintenance checkups, and only the white must remain connected. But this critical step was omitted in the recent launch. As a result, the missile was fired even though a simulation signal was inserted in the system. At the time, the checkup was conducted by two experienced mechanics who have worked with the Cheongung missile since its deployment in 2015. Their mistake resulted in the waste of a missile that costs 1.5 billion won. The Air Force has pledged to hold the mechanics responsible for the accident. However, the fact that such an accident was caused by something as simple as cables, has sparked criticism over the management system of potentially destructive, detrimental weapons.