The South Korean Air Force announced on Thursday that one of its fighter jets had mistakenly dropped eight bombs in the wrong location during a training exercise, causing injuries to civilians.
"Eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were abnormally released from an Air Force KF-16 aircraft, landing outside the designated firing range," the Air Force stated.
The incident occurred around 10:00 AM local time (0100 GMT) in Pocheon, approximately 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of the heavily fortified border with nuclear-armed North Korea.
"We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery," the Air Force said in a statement.
It added that an accident response committee had been established to investigate the incident and that "all necessary measures, including compensation for damages," would be taken.
The Air Force explained that the military jet had been "participating in a joint live-fire exercise involving both the Air Force and Army." South Korea was conducting combined live-fire drills with the United States in Pocheon on Thursday, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
South Korea’s National Fire Agency reported that the bombs were "presumed to have fallen on a village during a South Korea-US joint exercise." This resulted in "casualties and property damage, with many displaced residents." Four people were seriously injured, and three suffered minor injuries, the agency added.
According to the statement, one church building and parts of two houses were damaged.
‘Like a Thunderclap’
A local resident, surnamed Park, told Yonhap that he had been at home watching television when the accident occurred. "I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap, and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was in chaos," Park said.
Even a senior center located about a kilometer away felt the impact. "A sudden explosion shook the building. The windows shattered, and one of our teachers was injured and taken to the hospital," the center’s director, surnamed Yu, told Yonhap. "Fortunately, none of the seniors were hurt, but they were so frightened that we sent them all home," Yu added.
The joint South Korea-US "Freedom Shield" military exercises, one of the largest annual joint drills between the two security allies, are scheduled to begin later this month.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. The United States stations tens of thousands of troops in South Korea, partly to protect Seoul against potential threats from Pyongyang.
In 2022, a South Korean Hyunmu-2 short-range ballistic missile accidentally crashed into a military golf course in Gangwon Province in the east of the country after being fired in response to a North Korean missile launch. The missile did not explode, and no injuries were reported in that incident.
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