At least 15 people were injured in the incident, including two seriously, the National Fire Agency has said
A South Korean fighter jet has accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village during joint live-fire drills with the US military, injuring civilians and causing damage to property, the Asian country’s air force has said.
The incident, which happened on Thursday morning, left at least 15 people wounded, South Korea’s National Fire Agency said. Ten of the victims required hospitalization, including two in serious condition, the agency said, adding that there were two soldiers and two foreigners among the injured.
A church and at least seven other buildings in the settlement were damaged in the bombardment, according to the fire authorities.
The South Korean Air Force confirmed the blunder, saying in a statement that “eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were abnormally released from an Air Force KF-16 aircraft, landing outside the designated firing range.”
The MK-82 is a US-made munition, while the KF-16 is a Korean version of the American F-16 fighter jet, which were produced in the country from the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s.
🚨🇰🇷🇺🇸 Un avión de combate surcoreano lanzó por error 8 bombas fuera del campo de entrenamiento, impactando objetivos civiles en la ciudad de Pocheon, a 40 km de Seúl. El incidente dejó 15 heridos y ocurrió durante ejercicios militares con @USArmy usando munición real. pic.twitter.com/aqPYI85uhw
According to the Korea Herald, the misfire happened during joint drills between the South Korean and US forces, which involved multiple fighter jets.
The affected village is located near the city of Pocheon in northeastern Gyeonggi Province, around 50km (32 miles) northeast of Seoul and around 25km (16 miles) south of the border with North Korea.
“We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery,” the air force said.
An investigation, led by Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Park Ki-wan, has been launched to establish the causes of the incident, it added.
Pilot error is suspected to be the cause of the misfire, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing military sources.
A local resident told Yonhap that he was watching TV at home when the bombs fell.
“I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap, and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was in chaos,” he recalled.
In late 2024, three civilians were injured after a blast rocked a South Korean military logistics center in the city of Gimhae during an inspection of facilities storing hazardous materials.
Last October, a failed launch of a Hyunmoo-2 short-range ballistic missile caused an explosion and a major fire at a South Korean military base in the eastern coast city of Gangneung, local media reported. There were no injuries as a result of the incident.
