Tragic training accident in Pocheon: South Korean Fighter Jet drop bombs on Civilians

Training exercise in South Korea turned tragic, after a fighter jet accidently dropped eight bombs on a civilian area on Thursday. The aircraft involved in the training exercise was a South Korean KF-16 fighter jet, flying in the skies of Pochean, a village close to North Korea.  

According to the reports, 15 people have been injured from the accident, while no causalities have been reported yet. The South Korean Air Force shared a statement following the incident and highlighted that the bombs dropped were MK-82 and were abnormally released by the fighter jet outside of the firing range.  

The unexpected accident caused an unspecified civilian damage. According to the statement from the Air Force, the authorities will establish a committee to investigate thoroughly into the incident and find the exact cause of why and how the accident took place. The authorities further added that the investigation will also focus on examining the scale of civilian damages.  

They statement ended while emphasizing that the fighter jet was taking part in the air force’s joint live-firing drills with the army. The air force also apologized for causing civilian damage and expressed their concern to those suffered. They further added that they pray for those injured for a speedy recovery and emphasized that they will actively offer compensation to those at every necessary step to help the victims.  

According to some preliminary reports, approximately seven buildings including a church have been damaged from the accident. The reports further revealed that out of the 15 injured, two were soldiers who sustained severe injuries, while the others were civilians.  

Following the incident, the residents of the Pocheon area started protesting for the disturbance they faced. They also called for enhanced safety highlighting the potential danger they possess from nearby training ground from years.  

Netizens on social media also expressed their dissatisfaction on the incident as they highlight it as ‘inexcusable’. A user named Frank Kodiak Comacho wrote, “With all the current technology on hand like GPS, and still, something like this happens. Was it a smart bomb that had dumb operators? Accidently dropped, whatever! I guess lawsuits are coming on behalf of the civilian villagers.”  

“I hope they will not accidentally drop a bomb in N. Korea, for sure Kim will not wait for the explanation to retaliate,” wrote another user named Mansor Amelil on Facebook.