On Thursday, March 5, 2025, South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian district, which left 15 injured, damaged houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, the Air Force and fire agency said.
In a statemnet by the fire agency, 15 civilians were injured, including two who were seriously hurt.
Pocheon is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, near the heavily militarised border with North Korea.
According to a 65-year-old resident, Oh Moung-su, “There was a sudden loud roar of a fighter jet, then an explosion rang out.. When I went to the scene, there were about four houses that were halved from the damage, people hurt.”
“Dusk and smoke rose into the sky, water gushed out of a pipe. People in a vehicle going to a construction site were injured – some of them couldn’t even get out of the car. Another was outside the car covering his eye,” he added.
According to South Korea’s Air Force, eight 500-pound (225kg) Mk82 bombs from two KF-16 jets fell outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises.
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“We are sorry for the damage caused by the abnormal drop accident, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the Air Force said` in a statement.
The accident was caused by a pilot entering wrong coordinates, according to a military officer who declined to be identified owing to the sensitivity of the matter. According to the official, the two jets dropped four bombs each, all of which detonated.
While this incident would not affect the major upcoming joint South Korean and U.S. military exercises due to begin on Monday, authorities would suspend live-fire exercises until there are clear understanding of what went wrong, official said.
