A South Korean village, Pocheon, has become the target of an accidental air strike. A KF-16 fighter jet of the South Korean Air Force dropped eight MK-82 bombs on the town, located 40 kilometers north of Seoul, in the morning of March 6. According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, this is not the first incident in which a civilian target was hit unintentionally by military aircraft. However, this time, people were injured.
According to Yonhap, a total of 15 people, including two soldiers and two foreign nationals, were injured in the attack. Ten of the wounded were hospitalized, with two suffering severe injuries. The local fire department stated that none of the injured are in critical condition. Local authorities expect the number of injured to rise as more people have sought medical attention. Approximately 50 locals were evacuated from the area of the bombing.
The attack also damaged or destroyed eight buildings in Pocheon, including a church.
The South Korean military said the fighter jet dropped the bombs irregularly during a training exercise with live ammunition. General Lieutenant Park Ki-wan, the deputy chief of staff of the South Korean Air Force, apologized to the affected people:
“We apologize for the damage to civilian targets caused by the irregular bomb drop and wish the wounded a speedy recovery. We will take all necessary measures and compensate for the damage.”
The attack occurred as part of a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States at the Seungjin training base, 25 kilometers south of the border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. According to the South Korean military, over 160 pieces of military equipment, including K2 tanks, K55A1 artillery, attack helicopters and fighter jets, participated in the exercise, with live ammunition used during the training.