Witnesses report 'fireball' falling from sky over Korea
Published: 25 Apr. 2026, 09:59
Updated: 26 Apr. 2026, 16:44
![An object believed to be a meteor falls from the sky on Friday evening. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/26/1eb39ad4-f215-473f-aced-a78d1a01bf6f.jpg)
An object believed to be a meteor falls from the sky on Friday evening. [YONHAP]
Witness accounts emerged from multiple areas across Korea on Friday evening of a large, oval-shaped object burning as it fell from the sky.
According to local media outlet Yonhap, an unnamed Incheon resident saw what appeared to be a large shooting star falling while driving near Sipjeong-dong in Bupyeong District at around 8:43 p.m.
Footage from the vehicle’s dashboard camera showed the object falling with a long trail of fire behind it and appearing to break apart once or twice as it descended.
A similar sight was reported in Yangju, Gyeonggi. Yonhap quoted an unnamed resident in the region as saying that “an unidentified object fell from the sky near Cheonbo Tunnel in Hoeam-dong, Yangju.”
The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute said the object seen by residents was likely a meteor. A larger meteoroid can appear as a bright “fireball” as it burns up in the atmosphere, the institute said.
“The celestial object seen in the dashcam footage appears to be a typical fireball,” an official at the institute said. “It was disappearing as its trail of fire lengthened, but at this point, we cannot estimate where it may have fallen.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)