60cm Artillery Shell Found on Expressway Sparks Alarm... Here Is What It Turned Out to Be

▲ The artillery shell found on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway in Changnyeong

Police and military authorities have launched an investigation into the exact circumstances after a dummy artillery shell was discovered on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway in Changnyeong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation and police yesterday (August 6), a report was filed with the Korea Expressway Corporation at 1:28 p.m. that day stating that "iron-like debris has fallen" on the shoulder of the Changnyeong Interchange (IC) area heading toward Yangpyeong on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway in Daehap-myeon, Changnyeong-gun.

The Korea Expressway Corporation initially presumed the dropped object to be an artillery shell.

Subsequently, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from a nearby military unit was dispatched to inspect the shell, and it was determined to be a dummy artillery shell measuring 60 cm in length and 20 cm in diameter with no lethality whatsoever.

The military unit retrieved the dummy shell at 3:21 p.m. that day.

An Army official explained, "The discovered dummy shell has a hollow interior, and considering that its external markings differ from defense standards, it was confirmed not to be ammunition supplied to the military," adding, "We understand that dummy shells of this recovered type are used by some defense contractors."

Police suspect that a civilian cargo vehicle carrying the dummy shell dropped it onto the expressway due to improper loading.

Police plan to investigate the exact details of the incident jointly with the military.

At 3:10 p.m. that day, the Korea Expressway Corporation sent a safety text message stating, "An unidentified explosive has been found at the 45km point of the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway toward Yangpyeong (between Changnyeong IC and Hyeonpung IC). As the Yangpyeong-bound section is restricted starting from 2:11 p.m., please check traffic information and take detour routes."

(Photo provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)

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