Recently released satellite images show that North Korea may have accidentally hit one of its own cities during a missile test in April of 2017.
The images show that a failed test launch seems to have struck Tokchon, a city with a population of 200,000 people located near the center of North Korea.
According to The Daily Mail, a Hwasong KN-17 medium-range missile was launched from the Pukchang Airfield on April 28, 2017. About one minute after the launch, the missile failed and crashed into what appears to be an industrial building adjacent to residential structures in the Chongsin-dong area of Tokchon 25 miles away.
The Diplomat reports that the missile would have likely crashed into the Sea of Japan had it not suffered an engine malfunction.
Google Earth images taken in May of last year were compared against photos taken in 2016 to show what appears to be the damage from the missile. Their report corroborates rumors that a North Korean missile launch failed in flight last spring.
This news comes after an un-nammed source with knowledge of North Korea’s weapons program spoke out about last year’s catastrophic missile failure.
The news comes just days after a public Twitter spat between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
While the actual size of President Trump’s button has yet to be confirmed, his claim that Kim’s button doesn’t work appears to be accurate.