South Korea accidentally bombed a civilian area during a live-fire military exercise.
During the exercise in the Nogok-ri area of Pocheon, two South Korean FK-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 500-pound bombs on a residential area, hitting a church, cargo truck, and two residential buildings, ABC News reported. Fifteen civilians were wounded in the bombing, three of them seriously.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, the casualties included two pedestrians, two of the truck’s occupants, two soldiers, and two foreign nationals. The three serious injuries included broken limbs and abrasions on the neck and shoulders.
Surveillance footage captured the moment of the bombing.
According to South Korea’s Defense Ministry, the pilots entered incorrect coordinates, which caused the mistake. The ministry said the bombs were “abnormally” dropped.
“The pilot mistakenly entered the wrong coordinates during flight preparation, as confirmed through the pilot’s testimony and other sources,” a South Korean Air Force official said.
“There are procedures in place to confirm coordinates both on the ground and in the air,” a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said. “It appears that an error occurred in this process.”
“The scene of the incident is chaotic, resembling a battlefield,” Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyun said in a statement televised by CNN.
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All further live-fire drills were suspended pending an investigation into the incident. The Korean Air Force said that it would properly compensate the victims of the bombing.
The exercise was conducted in conjunction with the South Korean Army and United States military. It came ahead of this year’s Freedom Shield joint drills between the U.S. and South Korea, which are planned for March 10-20.
