Two Air Force unit commanders additionally booked over accidental jet bombing
Two Air Force unit commanders have been booked in relation to an unprecedented mistaken bombing on a civilian town last month, officials said Monday, as the ministry released the interim probe results of the fighter jet accident.
On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians, according to an estimate by city authorities.
The two pilots, who are alleged to have erroneously entered the target coordinates prior to the live-fire drills, have been booked over charges related to the incident. The pilots have also been suspended from air duty for one year.
"The ministry plans to refer the two pilots and the unit commanders who have been booked to the military prosecution after the probe concludes and seek disciplinary action against nine officials who were found to have belatedly reported the case and taken insufficient measures," the ministry's criminal investigation command said in a release.
The nine officials include seven from the Air Force and two from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it added.
The ministry also plans to issue a warning against the Air Force's operations commander, holding him accountable for command responsibility and insufficient reporting. (Yonhap)
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