South Korea apologises after missile fired in response to North Korea test crashes

Live-fire drill with the US supposed to be a show of strength, but ended in embarrassment and caused alarm among nearby residents

• North and South Korea tensions explained in 30 seconds

South Korea's military has apologised after a missile it launched during a drill on Tuesday malfunctioned and crashed to the ground, causing alarm among nearby residents who thought they were under attack from North Korea, which had test launched a missile earlier in the day.

The live-fire drill, involving South Korea and the US, was supposed to be a show of strength by the allies, hours after the North sent an intermediate-range missile over northern Japan.