2017 Guam false civil danger warning
| Date | August 15, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Time | 12:25 a.m. (ChST) |
| Duration | 15 minutes |
| Location |
|
| Type | False alarm |
Near midnight on August 15, 2017, an accidental civil danger warning was broadcast on two radio stations and at least one television station in Guam. This caused alarm during heightened tensions with North Korea, who had threatened to fire missiles towards Guam. Later, Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense clarified it was an unauthorized test, attributing it to human error.
Incident
At 12:25 a.m. Chamorro Standard Time, KTWG and KSTO broadcast a civil danger warning for Guam, which was additionally broadcast on at least one television station.[1][2] It did not specify what the cause was and lasted 15 minutes.[3]
At the time, tensions with North Korea—who had threatened to fire missiles towards Guam—were heightened.[4][5] Residents were alarmed by the warning, some of whom called Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense and the police.[6][7][1]
Later, Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense clarified it was an unscheduled and unauthorized test not related to an emergency, attributing it to human error. They also stated that they had worked with the two stations "to ensure the human error will not occur again."[2][4] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also had backed away from plans to launch missiles towards Guam.[4][8]
See also
- 2018 Hawaii false missile alert – A false missile threat that occurred in Hawaii a year later
- 2013 Emergency Alert System hijackings – A mass false activation of the Emergency Alert System
- 2005 Connecticut false evacuation alert – A false evacuation warning in Connecticut
- Civil danger warning
References
- 1 2 "Guam television and radio accidentally broadcast emergency warning message". ITV News. August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
- 1 2 Criss, Doug (August 15, 2017). "Guam radio stations freak out island with emergency alert". CNN. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
- ↑ Haas, Benjamin (August 15, 2017). "Guam radio stations accidentally air emergency alert amid North Korea threat". The Guardian. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Chappell, Bill (August 15, 2017). "North Korea Says It Won't Fire Missiles At Guam After All". NPR. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
- ↑ Abrams, Abigail (August 10, 2017). "North Korea Is Threatening to Attack Guam. Why Guam?". Time. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Overnight danger alert broadcast accidentally". KUAM News. August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Guam residents unnerved by accidental 'civil danger warning'". United Press International. August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ Cheng, Jonathan (August 14, 2017). "North Korea Backs Off Guam Missile-Attack Threat". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2026.