A South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter plane “abnormally” dropped MK-82 bombs beyond its official range of fire in a live-fire exercise, causing civilian injury. The Air Force released a statement verifying the occurrence, and said that a committee would be created to find the cause and measure the scope of the damage.
The South Korean Air Force decried the incident, expressing regret and tendering an apology while wishing injured parties a quick recovery. They also promised provision of necessary compensation and support procedures to the aggrieved parties.
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❗️Video emerges of ROKAF fighter’s accidental bombing in South Korea
Officials said eight bombs were “abnormally released” from a fighter jet during a live-fire military exercise. pic.twitter.com/GQBgA2p63h
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Eigthy people were injured in total, comprising six civilians and two soldiers, reports Yonhap news agency. Two of those injured received serious but not life-threatening wounds. Seven buildings were also said to have been damaged. The two wounded individuals were confirmed by Gyeonggi-do Bukbu Fire Services to have been seriously injured.
Locals in Pocheon have been complaining for long about the dangers of conducting military training exercises within their region. It is this incident that has sparked the fear once more, with residents of the area being worried about the dangers of such a training exercise.
The accident happened during joint live-fire training between South Korean and US troops in Pocheon as preparations for the annual military exercises that will be conducted soon. The South Korea-US Freedom Shield exercise will run from March 11 to March 20, with a concentration on bringing forward combat readiness against possible threats, such as from North Korea.
