Footage shows South Korean fighter planes dropping eight 500-pound bombs on a small town close to the border with North Korea – eight people were wounded in the blasts
Shocking moment South Korean fighter accidentally bombs Pocheon
A devastating mistake has further stoked World War Three tensions as South Korean fighter jets blasted a town close to the border with North Korea, inflicting numerous civilian casualties.
The South Koreans were taking part in a joint live-fire exercise involving the US military when eight people on the ground were injured as two warplanes dropped eight bombs in error.
The MK-82 bombs released by the KF-16 fighter jets fell outside a firing range, causing civilian damage, the air force said in a statement. It added that it will establish a committee to investigate why the accident happened and examine the scale of the injuries and destruction. An unidentified air force official told local reporters that a pilot of one of the KF-16s put in a wrong coordinate for a bombing site.
Another unnamed Defence Ministry official also told media that it is not currently known why the second KF-16 also dropped bombs on a civilian area and it will form part of the probe. The contents of the officials’ briefing were shared with foreign media. The air force apologized and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery of the injured people. It said it will actively offer compensation and take other necessary steps.
The accident happened in Pocheon, a city close to the heavily armed border with North Korea. In a televised briefing, Pocheon Mayor Paek Young-hyun called the bombings “awful” and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence.
He said that Pocheon, a city of 140,000 people, provides three major firing ranges for the South Korean and U.S. militaries. The military later said it has decided to suspend all live-fire drills across South Korea. Observers say the military will resume firing exercises after it learns the exact cause of Thursday’s accident and maps out steps to prevent recurrences.
One resident, named Park, told Yonhap News Agency: “I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap, and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was in chaos.” At a nearby senior care centre, windows shattered, and one teacher was hospitalised with injuries. The centre’s director, Yu, said: “Fortunately, none of the seniors were hurt, but they were so frightened that we sent them all home.”
Pocheon’s disaster response department said six civilians and two soldiers were injured and were being treated at hospitals. Four of the injured – all civilians – were in serious condition, the department said. 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 but they did not appear to have been directly hit by the bombs, according to the Pocheon department.
