South Korean Fighter Jets Accidentally Drop Bombs on Civilian Area, Injuring Eight
Two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during training on Thursday, injuring at least eight people. The incident occurred in Pocheon, a city close to the heavily armed border with North Korea.
The 500-pound MK-82 bombs, released by the KF-16 fighter jets, fell outside a firing range and caused damage to civilian property. The air force has apologized for the incident and is investigating the cause.
The bombs injured six civilians and two soldiers, with four civilians in serious condition. Two of the seriously injured are foreigners, one from Thailand and the other from Myanmar. Three houses, a Catholic church, and a greenhouse were partially damaged.
The air force has suspended live-fire drills in Pocheon, but major joint South Korean-U.S. military exercises set to start Monday will not be impacted.
Residents in the area have expressed alarm about the potential danger from the nearby training grounds for years. Mayor Paek Young-hyun called the bombings "awful" and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it can prevent a recurrence.
8 Comments
Manolo Noriega
Apologies aren't enough, victims deserve proper compensation and changes in regulations.
Fuerza
My heart goes out to the victims. This mistake must lead to accountability!
Manolo Noriega
Dropping bombs on your own people is absurd. How could something like this happen?
Ongania
How can we trust our military's accuracy and readiness if they can't even safely train?
Fuerza
Clearly the military hasn't taken the people's safety seriously enough. Shameful!
Donatello
South Korea needs to seriously reconsider their training procedures, this could have been catastrophic!
Leonardo
Just proof why civilians shouldn't have to live next to dangerous military drills.
Raphael
We shouldn't exaggerate or politicize this accident; what's important now is finding solutions.