A military drill in South Korea resulted in the bombing of its own civilians when two South Korean FK-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 500-pound bombs on a residential area in Nogok-ri, Pocheon. Officials described the incident as "abnormal" as it occurred during a live-fire exercise that went awry, injuring 29 civilians. This included 14 soldiers who were wounded in the incident. Among the 15 injured civilians, two were seriously hurt.
The country’s defense ministry stated that initial findings indicated the accident was caused by a pilot entering incorrect bombing coordinates. The exercise, conducted alongside the South Korean Army and U.S. military, destroyed two residential buildings, part of a church, and a truck.
“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.”
Footage has now been released which appears to show yesterday’s “accidental bombing” in South Korea, in which an ROKAF KF-16 Multirole Fighter dropped 8 Mk-82 500lb Bombs on the Town of Dong-myeon in the Gyeonggi Province, during a Live-Fire Exercise with the U.S. Air Force. pic.twitter.com/txb43krnoi
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 6, 2025
Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyun described the scene of the incident as being chaotic and resembling a battlefield.
An accident response team is investigating the incident, and the Air Force has said it will compensate for damages.
This comes ahead of the Freedom Shield drills scheduled to begin on March 10 and run until March 20. The drills strengthen the US-South Korean alliance’s combined defense posture. The annual drills typically provoke strong reactions from nuclear-armed North Korea, which perceives them as acts of provocation. North Korean authorities stated state-run media, condemning the exercises for threatening its sovereignty and security. They also warned that the U.S. and South Korea would face significant consequences.
“If the U.S. continues to renew its record of military muscle-flexing, we will have no option but to renew our record of displaying strategic deterrent,” the state-run KCNA news agency said.
The Freedom Shield drills remain scheduled as planned. However, the U.S. and South Korean militaries have mutually agreed to pause all live-fire training until further notice.