South Korea Air Force Jets Accidentally Bomb Homes

South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian district on Thursday, injuring 15 people and damaging houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, the Air Force and fire agency said.

The fire agency said in a statement that 15 people were wounded, including two who were seriously hurt.

Pocheon is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, near the heavily militarised border with North Korea.

“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,” said Oh Moung-su, a 65-year-old resident.

“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.”

South Korea’s Air Force said eight 500-pound (225kg) Mk82 bombs from two KF-16 jets fell outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises.

“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 due to a pilot entering incorrect coordinates, said a military official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. The official said that the two jets then dropped four bombs each, with all of them detonating.

Authorities would suspend live-fire exercises until there was a clear understanding of what went wrong, but the incident would not affect major joint South Korean and U.S. military exercises due to begin on Monday, the official said.

Residents in the area have protested about the disturbance and potential danger from nearby training grounds for years.

“The unthinkable has happened,” said Pocheon city mayor Baeck Young-hyeun, who urged the government and military to come up with measures to prevent any further civilian damage.

Reuters/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma