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This photo, sent in by a reader, shows fire and smoke in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on the night of Oct. 4, when a missile fired by the South Korean military crashed in a base there. (Yonhap)

Residents in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, spent Tuesday night terrified after having been given no proper guidance by military authorities about a large explosion and fire at a nearby military base. It was later revealed that the crash of one of South Korea’s own Hyunmoo-2 missiles was the cause of the explosion.

On Wednesday, both fire department officials and local residents confirmed the sound of an explosion, big flames, and smoke near a military base in Gangneung between 11 pm Tuesday night and 1:30 am that morning. Those nearby also reportedly observed a flash of fire heading towards the sky, as if a missile was being launched.

Jeon Im-tak, 51, who lives near the site of the fire, recounted the incident, saying that it took place “only five minutes away from downtown.” Jeon explained that “everyone was nervous, thinking a war had broken out or a missile had been dropped on Gangneung,” adding that “a fire truck roared past but there were no guidance measures given either by the news or from City Hall.”

Kim Yong-rae, a lawmaker representing Gangneung at the Gangwon Provincial Council, said, “No matter how important security is, citizens should have been provided with at least some sort of information after the accident,” and called for a detailed explanation and apology from military authorities.

Startled by the explosion, residents took to social media to share what was happening. One resident wrote that they initially thought the explosion was thunder, but soon realized it was not, saying the situation was “scary.”

“Startled by the sound, I went to the veranda and the sky was completely red,” another resident said.

“The floor and windows are shaking so much,” one resident said.

Another asked, “Has a war broken out?”

Others said they saw the sky turn white after a big explosion and had no idea what was happening. “I woke up due to the explosion and can’t go back to sleep now,” another resident said. Hours went by with residents posting videos, photos, and comments about the incident on social media channels.

A bomb squad vehicle can be seen at the entrance to the Gangneung military base on Oct. 5 after a missile crashed there. (Yonhap)

The local fire department had received about ten reports at around 11 pm Tuesday night from residents reporting the sound of an explosion coming from the nearby airfield and about a plane having possibly crashed. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene but quickly returned after three minutes since they were told by those at the military base that military training was going on.

Besides the fire department, worried residents also called Gangneung City Hall throughout the night to ask about the cause of the fire and explosion. However, the officials working at City Hall had difficulty responding to residents and explaining the situation since they themselves were in the dark about what exactly was happening.

Military authorities failed to give any advance notice and only said they were training. They gave no detailed explanation despite the continued requests from both the fire department and City Hall. Because of all this secrecy, residents remained in a state of anxiety until the Joint Chiefs of Staff finally revealed the cause of the fire and explosion at 7 am on Wednesday.

Those who heard the explanation, however, were unimpressed with the response and took to social media to voice their complaints.

“Do eight hours have to go by after the accident before the public can know the truth? Is this an eight-hour [version] reenactment of the Sewol ferry disaster? Should the public still not know no matter what is happening to the people in the meantime?” one local posted on social media.

“They said they would protect the country, but ended up preemptively striking our own territory,” another posted.

“What would they have done if [the missile] had fallen in the downtown area [located] right next to [the military base]?” another resident asked.

By Park Soo-hyuk, Gangwon correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]