A live-fire military exercise in South Korea’s Pocheon city near the North Korean border has left 15 people injured after eight bombs accidentally dropped by fighter jets landed in a civilian district. The incident occurred during routine drills aimed at maintaining combat readiness against potential attacks from North Korea.
According to the Air Force, two of the injured are seriously hurt with fractures to their necks and shoulders. One resident was driving when shrapnel from the explosion lodged in his neck. The military has apologized for the damage and said it would provide compensation to those affected.
The pilot of one jet inputted the wrong coordinates by mistake, causing the bombs to drop outside the designated firing range. However, investigators are still trying to determine why a second jet also dropped its bombs.
The incident has led to all live-fire exercises being suspended until further notice. One church building and several houses were damaged due to the explosion. Authorities evacuated residents while bomb disposal teams worked on safely disposing unexploded bombs, but none were found.
The training was part of a joint drill with US forces, which will take place from March 10 to March 20. The drills come amid growing tensions between South Korea and North Korea due to their increasingly close alliance with Russia. This is not the first incident of its kind, as in 2022, a short-range ballistic missile malfunctioned during another joint drill, sending panic among residents.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ernge8193o