South Korean Air Force KF-16 Fighter Jets Bomb Civilians by Mistake
Noriko Watanabe and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter jets bombed civilians by mistake during live-fire drills. This injured 15 people after eight air-to-surface bombs were dropped by the KF-16 fighter jets.
The horrendous error happened in a village in the environs of Pocheon. Hence, two fighter jets dropped air-to-surface bombs, which damaged a Christian church and other buildings.
Approximately 50 residents were evacuated. Thankfully, it appears that the injuries are not life-threatening. However, the error needs investigating because this incident is shocking.
Yonhap News reports, “Earlier in the day, South Korea and the United States held combined live-fire drills near the inter-Korean border, in a show of firepower against North Korean military threats ahead of their annual springtime exercise this month.”
The South Korean Air Force said, “Our KF-16 (fighter jet) abnormally dropped eight shells of MK-82 bombs. It landed outside of firing range.”
The BBC reports, “During another joint drill by South Korea and the US in 2022, troops fired a short-range ballistic missile which malfunctioned and crashed on a golf course in the military base. While the warhead did not explode, it still burst into flames and sent panic rippling across residents in the area.”
It appears that one pilot put in the wrong coordinate.
AP News reports, “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. An unidentified Defense Ministry official also told reporters that more investigation was needed to find why the second KF-16 also dropped bombs on a civilian area.”
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) says, “This horrendous error comes at a time when President Yoon Suk Yeol is confined after being impeached.”
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