South Korean jets accidentally bomb church during military drills

One church and several houses sustained damage after two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs in a civilian district during a live-fire military exercise, local media reported.

The explosion also left at least fifteen people injured, two of them seriously.

According to the BBC, the incident occurred at around 10:04 local time (01:04 GMT) in Pocheon, a city near the border with North Korea, and involved Air Force KF-16 aircraft.

South Korea’s Air Force stated that the bombs were dropped due to an error in inputting coordinates. “Our KF-16 (jet fighter) abnormally dropped eight shells of MK-82 bombs. It landed outside of firing range,” the Air Force said in a statement to the BBC.

While the pilot of one jet mistakenly entered the wrong coordinates, investigators are still determining why the second aircraft released its bombs.

A local resident described the impact, saying he had been watching television when the explosion, which sounded “like a thunderclap,” shook his home. The director of a nearby senior citizen care centre reported that the blast shattered windows, causing injuries to a teacher. While no elderly residents were harmed, “they were so frightened that we sent them all home,” the director said.

Among the injured, two people suffered fractures to their necks and shoulders. A 60-year-old driver recounted to Yonhap News Agency: “I was driving when I heard a ‘bang.’ When I woke up, I was in an ambulance.”

ALSO READ: Cyclone Alfred: ‘Extremely rare’ storm inches towards Australia coast, flights disrupted

Pocheon authorities initially evacuated residents while a bomb disposal team searched for unexploded ordnance, but later confirmed that no undetonated bombs were found. 

The South Korean Air Force has apologised for the incident and pledged to compensate those affected. All live-fire exercises have been suspended pending an investigation.

The South Korean defence ministry confirmed that the training exercise was part of a joint drill with US forces. The incident comes ahead of planned combined drills between South Korea and the United States, scheduled from 10 to 20 March—the first since US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The exercises take place amid rising concerns over North Korea’s strengthening ties with Russia.

Military accidents during drills are rare but not unprecedented. In 2022, a joint South Korea-US exercise resulted in a short-range ballistic missile malfunctioning and crashing onto a military golf course. While the warhead did not explode, the incident sparked widespread panic among local residents.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE