Chairman of the Joint Chiefs: "The cause of Hyunmoo misfire is a defect; if there is a problem, we will take responsibility"

ADD, Possibility of Control System Device Defects... Comprehensive Full Inspection Announced
"Not Concealment... Mistake in Failing to Evaluate and Respond According to Public Expectations"

Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. / National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, mentioned the possibility of a defect in a specific device as the cause of the Hyunmoo-2C missile misfire accident and stated, "If there was a problem, I will take responsibility." Regarding the controversy over the delayed response following the accident, he firmly denied any attempt to cover it up.

At the National Defense Committee's audit of the Joint Chiefs of Staff held at the Yongsan office on the 6th, Kim responded to lawmakers' questions about the cause of the misfire by saying, "The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) initially evaluated it as a device defect in the control system."

Kim explained that there were no issues during the pre-launch inspection procedures and that three ADD researchers were present during the firing. He also announced plans for ADD and the Army Headquarters to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the ballistic missiles in possession and to verify the manufacturing and management processes.

Regarding the criticism over the delayed response, he repeatedly expressed his apologies, saying, "I am sorry."

Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Seong-ho criticized, "You said you would conduct a preemptive strike against North Korea, but did you preemptively strike South Korea?" He added, "Hyunmoo-2C is very different from ATACMS, and if it failed to demonstrate strategic risk or deterrence, shouldn't it have been stopped?" He also pointed out, "There is chaos because the reality of the misfire accident has not been revealed, and there is suspicion that the command tried to cover it up."

In response, Kim said, "There were shortcomings in the measures taken after the situation occurred and in timely and appropriate reporting to the National Defense Committee members. We will keep this in mind and take action in the future." He added, "Although there was an abnormal misfire, it was a planned firing conducted after a safety evaluation, so it is not a cover-up." Regarding the response after the misfire, he said, "I believe there was a lack of situational assessment on how the public would feel at the scene." He explained, "It looked like a fire, but it was not an explosion; it was the propellant burning, and the biggest problem was that we failed to evaluate it in a way that matched the public's concerns."

When Democratic Party lawmaker Song Gap-seok pointed out, "Our military stated in a press release that it has the capability and posture to neutralize the origin of provocations," and added, "(This release) came out at 7:30 a.m., but the misfire accident happened at 11 p.m. the night before," Kim responded, "Although there was a misfire, we conducted ground-to-ground firing with ATACMS, meaning we have the firing capability and responded even in an unexpected situation."

Earlier, the Hyunmoo-2C missile fired during the joint South Korea-U.S. response firing on the 4th flew abnormally immediately after launch and crashed. The Hyunmoo-2C was deployed in three response firings against North Korea's ballistic missile provocations this year, and there were no issues in the previous firings.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that they reported the misfire accident to the National Security Office but are unaware of any instructions from the President. They also firmly denied any consultation with other agencies during the dissemination of missile training details.