South Korean military’s solid fuel rocket test sparks UFO scare

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said on Friday that the multiple, unidentified aircraft flying over the capital Seoul was a successful test of its solid-fuel space rocket, appeasing concerns that it could be aliens visiting Earth.

The test flight was a follow-up to another launch conducted on March 30, the ministry said.

It added that the launch was conducted to beef up national defense capabilities in areas like independent, space-based surveillance and reconnaissance.

The ministry also apologized for not warning the public in advance.

At around 6pm, strange rainbow-colored lights were spotted in the sky across South Korea, including in Seoul and parts of Gangwon, Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces.

The meandering path and color of the rocket caused some witnesses to initially speculate it was an unidentified flying object, or UFO, until the ministry made an announcement.

South Korea launched a solid-fuel space rocket for the first time in March, as part of a project to develop civilian and military surveillance satellites.

It was the first test since South Korea and the United States agreed in 2021 to end restrictions on the country’s ballistic missile and rocket development.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES