15 injured in South Korea after bombs accidentally hit civilian area during military training
At least seven people were injured in South Korea after a fighter jet accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during training linked to joint military drills with the United States, officials said.
SEOUL, South Korea — At least 15 people were injured in South Korea on Thursday after fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during a live-fire joint exercise with U.S. forces, the South Korean Air Force and fire officials said.
The South Korean military said the training in Pocheon, a northeastern city of about 140,000 people near the heavily fortified border with North Korea, was in preparation for Freedom Shield, an annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise that is set to kick off on Monday.
Just after 10 a.m. local time (8 p.m. Wednesday ET), eight 500-pound MK-82 bombs were “abnormally released” by two air force KF-16s, landing outside the designated firing range, the South Korean Air Force said.
The air force said four of the bombs misfired because one of the fighter jet pilots entered incorrect coordinates during the flight preparation process, and that further investigation was needed to determine why the second jet incorrectly dropped the four other bombs.
“There are procedures to verify coordinates both on the ground and in the air. However, it appears that a mistake was made in this process,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
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