Latest news with #PaekYoung-hyun
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
South Korean fighter jets accidentally drop bombs during training exercise, injuring multiple people
South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area during a live-fire training exercise with the U.S. on Thursday, injuring multiple people and damaging multiple buildings, including three houses and a Catholic church. The MK-82 bombs "abnormally" released by the KF-16 fighter jet fell outside a firing range, causing unspecified civilian damages, the air force said in a statement. Passenger Plane Catches Fire At South Korean Airport; All 176 People On Board Are Evacuated Reports of the number of people injured varied, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency put the number at 15, including civilians and soldiers. Two of the injured were serious but not life-threatening, the outlet reported. At least seven buildings were damaged. The air force said the fighter jets were taking part in the air force's joint live-firing drills with the army. It apologized for the incident and promised to establish a committee to investigate the cause of the accident and the extent of the damage. At Least Four Dead In South Korea Highway Construction Project Collapse Read On The Fox News App South Korean media reported that the accident happened in Pocheon, a city near the heavily armed border with North Korea. In a televised briefing, Pocheon Mayor Paek Young-hyun called the bombings "awful" and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence. He said that Pocheon, a city of 140,000 people, provides three major firing ranges for the South Korean and U.S. militaries. The military later said it has decided to suspend all live-fire drills across South Korea. Observers say the military will resume firing exercises after it learns the exact cause of Thursday's accident and maps out steps to prevent recurrences. Three houses, a Catholic church and a greenhouse were partially damaged but they did not appear to have been directly hit by the bombs, according to the Pocheon article source: South Korean fighter jets accidentally drop bombs during training exercise, injuring multiple people
Fox News
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
South Korean fighter jets accidentally drop bombs during training exercise, injuring multiple people
South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area during a live-fire training exercise with the U.S. on Thursday, injuring multiple people and damaging multiple buildings, including three houses and a Catholic church. The MK-82 bombs "abnormally" released by the KF-16 fighter jet fell outside a firing range, causing unspecified civilian damages, the air force said in a statement. Reports of the number of people injured varied, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency put the number at 15, including civilians and soldiers. Two of the injured were serious but not life-threatening, the outlet reported. At least seven buildings were damaged. The air force said the fighter jets were taking part in the air force's joint live-firing drills with the army. It apologized for the incident and promised to establish a committee to investigate the cause of the accident and the extent of the damage. South Korean media reported that the accident happened in Pocheon, a city near the heavily armed border with North Korea. In a televised briefing, Pocheon Mayor Paek Young-hyun called the bombings "awful" and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence. He said that Pocheon, a city of 140,000 people, provides three major firing ranges for the South Korean and U.S. militaries. The military later said it has decided to suspend all live-fire drills across South Korea. Observers say the military will resume firing exercises after it learns the exact cause of Thursday's accident and maps out steps to prevent recurrences. Three houses, a Catholic church and a greenhouse were partially damaged but they did not appear to have been directly hit by the bombs, according to the Pocheon department.
Euronews
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Fifteen hurt after South Korean fighter jets accidentally bomb village
Fifteen people have been injured in South Korea after two of the country's fighter pilots accidentally dropped bombs over a civilian area during training exercises. At just after 10 am local time (2 am CET), two KF-16 planes released eight MK-82 bombs over a village near Pocheon, a town close to the country's heavily fortified border with North Korea, the South Korean air force said. While some of the injuries were serious, none of the victims was left in a critical condition, according to local media. Several houses, a Catholic church and a greenhouse were partially damaged by the bombs, which did not directly hit them. Pocheon Mayor Paek Young-hyun, who confirmed that the town hosts three military firing ranges, called the bombings 'awful'. An unnamed South Korean air force official told reporters that one of the pilots had entered the wrong bombing coordinates. The cause of the second pilot's error is unknown. South Korea's air force apologised for the incident, vowing to pay compensation to the victims, to whom it wished a quick recovery. It added that a thorough investigation would be launched into what had happened. Soon after the bombs were dropped, the South Korean military said it was suspending all live-fire drills across the country. It comes just days before the US and South Korea are scheduled to begin their annual joint military exercises in the country. The "Freedom Shield" drills are designed to enhance the allies' readiness to respond to threats from Pyongyang.
CBS News
06-03-2025
- CBS News
2 South Korean fighter jets accidentally drop 8 bombs on civilian area during training, officials say
Seoul, South Korea — Two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during training Thursday, injuring at least eight people, officials said. One report put the number at 15. The 500 pound MK-82 bombs released by the KF-16 fighter jets fell outside a firing range and caused civilian damage, the air force said in a statement. The air force said it will establish a committee to investigate why the accident happened and examine the scale of the civilian damage. It said the fighter jets were taking part in the air force's joint live-fire drills with the army. The incident occurred at about 10 a.m. local time, Agence France-Presse reported. An unidentified air force official told local reporters a pilot of one of the KF-16s put in a wrong coordinate for a bombing site. An unidentified Defense Ministry official also told reporters more investigation was needed to find out why the second KF-16 also dropped bombs on a civilian area. The contents of the officials' briefing were shared with foreign media. The air force apologized and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery of the injured people. It said it will actively offer compensation and take other necessary steps. The accident happened in Pocheon, a city close to the heavily armed border with North Korea. In a televised briefing, Pocheon Mayor Paek Young-hyun called the bombings "awful" and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence. He said Pocheon, a city of 140,000 people, provides three major firing ranges for the South Korean and U.S. militaries. The military said it's decided to suspend live-fire drills in Pocheon, but the Reuters news agency cited an official as saying major joint South Korean-U.S. military exercises set to start Monday wouldn't be impacted. Paek described Thursday's training as a joint drill with the U.S. military. But the South Korean Defense Ministry couldn't immediately confirm that. Pocheon's disaster response center said six civilians and two soldiers were injured and were being treated at hospitals. Four of the injured - all civilians - were in serious condition, the center said. Two of the seriously injured are foreigners - one from Thailand and the other from Myanmar. The local fire agency said in a statement that 15 people were hurt, two seriously, Reuters reported. Three houses were partially damaged along with a Catholic church and a greenhouse but they didn't appear to have been directly hit by the 2 bombs, according to the Pocheon center.
