North Korea missile launch scare: Japanese broadcaster sparks false alarm by reporting ‘Christmas surprise’ then retracting it minutes later
A Japanese broadcaster sparked a false alarm on the Korean peninsula today by mistakenly reporting a North Korean missile launch.
NHK’s Boxing Day news alert claimed that a missile had landed in the Pacific Ocean 1,200 miles of Hokkaido, Japan.
It appeared to confirm fears of a North Korean ‘Christmas surprise’ which Pyongyang had warned was coming.
But the Japanese network retracted the claim just minutes later.
A Japanese broadcaster sparked a false alarm on the Korean peninsula today by mistakenly reporting a North Korean missile launch (pictured: Pyongyang strongman Kim Jong-un)
Christmas Day had passed without incident despite Pyongyang’s warnings of a ‘gift’ to America, possibly a new long-range missile test.
President Trump had laughed off the warning on Christmas Eve, saying that North Korean strongman Kim Jong-un could have been planning to give him a ‘nice present’ such as a ‘beautiful vase’.
Nuclear talks between the US and North Korea have been stalled since a February summit between Trump and Kim fell apart.
More to follow.