NHK apologizes for false missile alert

NHK -- Jan 17

NHK is apologizing after issuing a false alert that said North Korea had probably launched a missile and warned people in Japan to take cover.

The false message was sent in Japanese shortly before 7 PM local time on Tuesday. It went out through the public broadcaster's Japanese apps and website.

A few minutes later, NHK corrected the wrong information. There are no reports of problems caused by the mistake. NHK says a switching error is to blame.

The incident comes just days after officials in the US state of Hawaii issued a false missile alarm and caused panic.

Jan 17 (ANNnewsCH) - NHKは16日、北朝鮮のミサイル発射でJアラート(全国瞬時警報システム)が作動したという誤報を流しました。原因は操作ミスでした。 NHKは午後6時55分、スマートフォンの防災アプリやニュースサイトで「北朝鮮ミサイル発射の模様・Jアラート」などという速報を流しました。