Just hours before North Korea's scheduled launch of a satellite aboard a rocket, authorities in South Korea, as well as Japanese authorities, alerted their citizens to the possibility of an evacuation.

In the early hours of what was already Wednesday in Korea, the public was alerted through sirens and text messages to take shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation. Meanwhile, the Japanese Ministry activated its missile defense system in response to the potential threat.

However, a couple of hours later, South Korean authorities issued a statement explaining that the activation of the alarm had been a mistake. According to officials, there is no danger as they believe that North Korea's mission may have failed.

🔴 #AHORA | Sirenas de emergencia en Seúl, Corea del Sur, trás un lanzamiento de Corea del Norte. pic.twitter.com/p1lGCOP8zT

— Mundo en Conflicto 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) May 30, 2023

On the other hand, Japan did not withdraw its missile defenses, waiting for confirmation that the satellite launched by North Korea had indeed failed.

Videos circulated on social media showing the alarms activated by South Korea in response to the potential threat, which minutes later was retracted, assuming that their northern neighbor's mission had failed.