29 including civilians injured as bombs misfire from South Korea fighter jet

The number of people injured after South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area on Thursday increased to 15 civilians and 14 soldiers, the Yonhap News Agency said on Friday, citing the country’s defence ministry.

On Thursday, eight MK-82 unguided bombs carried by two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly fell outside the designated training zone in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, during a joint live-fire exercise involving the Korean Army, Air Force and U.S. Forces Korea. 

The misfire occurred approximately six kilometers (3.7 miles) from the intended target during a pre-exercise drill for the annual Freedom Shield (FS) exercise set to begin on March 10. As a result, civilians sustained injuries, while a church, several civilian structures and multiple vehicles were severely damaged.

The MK-82 bomb is designed to destroy buildings and bridges. It is a stroke of luck that there were no fatalities despite the gravity of the incident. The military dispatched an explosive ordnance disposal team to assess the site, but all of the bombs dropped reportedly detonated, eliminating the risk of additional explosions. Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyeon has demanded full compensation for the victims and called for a complete halt to military exercises in the area until a satisfactory resolution is reached.

The Air Force attributed the incident to an error in coordinate input by the lead fighter pilot, which was then followed by the second pilot bombing the same place. The Air Force is primarily responsible for conducting precision strikes on key North Korean military facilities during the early stages of a conflict. Training a single fighter pilot costs over 10 billion won ($7.5 million) to ensure precise, "one-shot, one-kill" targeting while evading enemy air defense networks. That such a fundamental error in coordinate entry led to an attack on civilian property is deeply concerning. If this had been a real combat situation, the Air Force would have flown deep into enemy territory only to bomb the wrong target.

--With agencies’ inputs