South Korean Fighter Jets Accidentally Bomb Residential Area, Injuring at Least 29
South Korean Fighter Jets Accidentally Bomb Residential Area, Injuring at Least 29
South Korean fighter jets mistakenly bombed a residential area during a live-fire drill with US forces, injuring over two dozen people on Thursday, according to Seoul’s military.
During the exercise, two KF-16 fighter jets unintentionally released eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs outside the designated firing range at approximately 10:07 a.m. local time. The bombs struck civilian infrastructure in Pocheon, a city northeast of Seoul, as reported by the South Korean Air Force.
Initial investigations by South Korea’s defense ministry suggest the incident resulted from a pilot entering incorrect bombing coordinates.
Images from local media showed thick smoke rising from the affected rural area in the aftermath of the explosions.
At least 29 people, including 14 soldiers, sustained injuries. Among the 15 injured civilians, two were reported to be in serious condition. The blasts destroyed two residential buildings, part of a church, and a truck.
"The site of the incident is chaotic, resembling a battlefield," Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyun stated in a televised address.
The fighter jets were part of a joint live-fire exercise involving the South Korean Army and US military as part of the annual "Freedom Shield" drills, the South Korean Air Force . Further details were not provided.
Following the incident, South Korea’s military suspended all live-fire training until an investigation is completed. An accident response team has been formed, and the air force pledged to compensate for damages.
The air force apologized for the "abnormal bomb release" and expressed hopes for the swift recovery of the injured.
Officials have not ruled out the possibility of a technical malfunction, an air force representative told CNN.
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) later clarified that no US Air Force aircraft were involved in the exercise. While live-fire training has been suspended, other planned military exercises will proceed, with USFK coordinating with Korean authorities on the investigation.
The Freedom Shield drills, scheduled from March 10 to March 20, aim to strengthen the US-South Korea defense alliance, according to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
North Korea, which regularly condemns such drills as threats to its sovereignty, issued a statement on Friday denouncing the exercises. It warned that the US and South Korea would "pay a severe price" for their actions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly accused the US and South Korea of escalating tensions through joint military activities. In 2023, after US strategic bombers participated in air drills with South Korean forces, North Korea responded with a ballistic missile test, according to South Korean military reports.
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