South Korean fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs on civilian homes.
The South Korean Air Force said on March 6 that one of its fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs in the wrong location during a training exercise, causing civilian casualties.
"Eight MK-82 multi-purpose bombs were dropped irregularly from an Air Force KF-16 aircraft, landing outside the designated firing area," the South Korean Air Force said.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:00 AM on March 6th in Pocheon, about 25 kilometers south of the border with North Korea.
"We deeply regret the unintentional bombing that caused civilian casualties, and we wish those injured a speedy recovery," the South Korean Air Force said in a statement.
They said they had established an incident response committee to investigate the matter and would "take all necessary measures, including compensation for damages."
The South Korean Air Force said the military aircraft "was participating in a joint live-fire exercise between the Air Force and the Army."
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea is conducting joint live-fire exercises with the United States in Pocheon on March 6th.
The South Korean National Fire Protection Agency said the bombs "are believed to have fallen on a village during a joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States."
The incident resulted in "casualties and property damage, along with the evacuation of many residents," the agency said, confirming that four people were seriously injured and three were slightly injured.
A church and parts of two houses were damaged, according to the statement.
"It was like a clap of thunder."
A local resident, who only revealed his last name as Park, told Yonhap that he was at home watching TV when the incident occurred.
"I suddenly heard a terrible explosion, like a clap of thunder, and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was chaotic," Park said.
Even at a senior center about 1 km away, the explosion could be felt.
"A sudden explosion rocked the building. Windows shattered, and one of our teachers was injured and hospitalized," the center's director, surnamed Yu, told Yonhap.
"Luckily, no elderly people were injured, but they were very frightened, so we took them home," the source added.
The joint military exercises "Freedom Shield" between South Korea and the United States, one of the largest annual joint drills between the two security allies, are scheduled to begin later this month.
The two Koreas have remained technically at war since the 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty.
The U.S. currently deploys tens of thousands of troops in South Korea, which they say is partly to protect Seoul from the threat posed by Pyongyang.
In 2022, a South Korean Hyunmu-2 short-range ballistic missile accidentally crashed onto a military golf course in Gangwon Province, eastern South Korea, after being launched in response to a North Korean missile test.
The missile did not explode, and no one was injured in the incident.
