15 Injured After South Korean Live Fire Airstrike Drill Mishap
At least 15 people have been injured after two Republic of Korea Air Force KF-16s mistakenly dropped eight bombs on a South Korean village during a Thursday live fire exercise.
South Korean authorities report that 15 people, including two Korean soldiers and two foreign laborers, were hospitalized for injuries of varying severity after the Thursday morning incident in a village near the city of Pocheon. No deaths or unconscious victims are reported as of writing, but the number of injured is expected to rise as more seek treatment.
The incident happened during joint live-fire drills between the South Korean military and the United States military in South Korea. The drills were the first joint live fire exercise to be held this year, and were held ahead of the Freedom Shield joint exercise scheduled to start next week.
The Republic of Korea Air Force has announced a halt to all live fire exercises until an investigation finds the cause of the incident, with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su saying the service will “compensate to the full extent the mental, physical and property damage inflicted upon the residents” in a statement issued to Yonhap.
A Republic of Korea Air Force official told Yonhap that an initial investigation found pilot error to be the likely cause of the mishap that damaged eight buildings, with one of the pilots of the single-seat jets wrongly entering the strike target’s coordinates prior to take-off. As a result, eight 500-pound Mk 82 bombs from the two KF-16s were dropped eight kilometers away from the intended target on a practice range, striking the village.
The official said authorities are looking into whether the pilot properly followed procedures to check the entered coordinates, as well as possible lapses in air traffic control as the fighter jets veered off their planned flight path due to the incorrect target coordinates.