South Korean Fighter Jet Accidentally Drops Bombs, Injuring Seven
Seven people were injured, four of them seriously, when a South Korean fighter jet mistakenly dropped eight bombs in a civilian area during a live-fire military exercise.
The incident occurred around 10:04 local time (01:04 GMT) in Pocheon, a city near the border with North Korea. The Air Force KF-16 jet was involved in the mishap.
While only one bomb exploded, authorities confirmed that a bomb disposal team is currently working to safely neutralize the other seven unexploded bombs. Residents in the vicinity have been evacuated as a precaution.
Live-fire exercises sometimes result in shells landing near civilian areas, but injuries are rare. Local media reported that two individuals sustained neck and shoulder fractures.
One of the injured, a 60-year-old driver, was reported to have shrapnel lodged in their neck after the explosion. “I was driving when I heard a loud bang,” they said. “When I woke up, I was in an ambulance.”
The South Korean Air Force confirmed the incident, stating that the KF-16 fighter jet "abnormally dropped 8 MK-82 bombs outside the firing range." They said the situation was being investigated and expressed regret for the damage. Compensation will be offered to those affected.
Military expert Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, explained that bombs might fail to detonate if they are dropped from a lower altitude than intended.
In addition to the injuries, several buildings were damaged, including a church and residential homes. Local media images show shattered windows and a damaged church roof.
A nearby resident described the explosion as sounding "like a thunderclap" and said it shook their house while they were watching television.
The director of a senior citizen care facility also reported that the building’s windows were shattered and one staff member was hospitalized. Though no elderly residents were harmed, they were sent home due to the trauma of the explosion.
The incident occurred during a joint military exercise with US forces. The South Korean defense ministry confirmed that Thursday's training was part of preparations for combined drills scheduled to take place between March 10 and March 20. This will be the first joint exercise since the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House. The drills come amid growing concerns over the strengthening ties between North Korea and Russia.
In 2022, a similar joint exercise led to a mishap when a short-range ballistic missile malfunctioned and crashed on a golf course near a military base. Though the warhead didn’t explode, it caught fire, causing widespread panic among local residents.
