Latest news with #XavierBronson
Shafaq News
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
South Korean drill error: bombs wound over seven civilians
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, a South Korean KF-16 fighter jet accidentally dropped MK-82 bombs outside a designated firing range during a joint US-South Korea military exercise. According to the South Korean Air Force statement, the jet 'abnormally dropped' eight bombs during a live-fire drill near the inter-Korean border. Some of the bombs landed in a populated village north of Seoul, severely injuring four people and causing minor injuries to three others. The explosion also damaged a church and two residential buildings. 'We deeply regret the unintended bomb release, which caused civilian casualties, and wish the injured a speedy recovery,' the statement read. It added that an investigation was underway and all the necessary measures, including compensation, would be taken. The incident took place at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, about 25 km south of the North Korean border. The exercise involved more than 160 pieces of military hardware and was attended by Gen. Xavier Bronson, the top US commander in Korea, and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soon. The drill, the first of its kind this year, was held in preparation for the upcoming Freedom Shield exercises, one of the largest annual joint military drills between the two allies. Notably, the US maintains tens of thousands of troops in South Korea. The two Koreas remain technically at war, as their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Voice of America
06-03-2025
- Voice of America
South Korean jet accidentally drops bombs on village, injuring seven
A South Korean fighter jet accidentally dropped eight 500-pound bombs outside of a designated firing range north of Seoul on Thursday, injuring at least seven people, South Korean officials said. In a statement, South Korea's Air Force said a KF-16 fighter jet 'abnormally dropped' the MK-82 bombs during a live fire exercise at 10:04 a.m. local time. The fighter jet was participating in U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises near the inter-Korean border, said an official with South Korea's Ministry of National Defense. At least some of the bombs landed in a populated village, severely injuring at least four people and damaging a church and two residential buildings, according to the country's national fire agency. Pictures in local media showed at least two houses whose roofs were crumbling and windows shattered. A nearby church also appeared to suffer significant structural damage. The live fire drill took place early Thursday at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the border with North Korea. According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, the exercise involved more than 160 pieces of military hardware and was set to be attended by Gen. Xavier Bronson, the top U.S. commander in Korea, and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soon. The drill marked the allies' first exercise of its kind this year and was held in connection with the upcoming annual Freedom Shield exercise, Yonhap reported.
Korea Herald
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, US stage combined firepower drills near inter-Korean border
South Korea and the United States on Thursday held combined live-fire drills near the inter-Korean border, officials said, in a show of firepower against North Korean military threats ahead of their annual springtime exercise this month. The exercise took place at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the border, mobilizing more than 160 pieces of military hardware, including K2 tanks, K55A1 self-propelled howitzers, Apache attack helicopters and F-35A stealth jets, according to the Army. It marked the allies' first exercise of its kind this year, taking place in connection to the upcoming annual Freedom Shield exercise. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Bronson were set to visit and inspect the live-fire drills. The drills began with South Korean and US military drones conducting reconnaissance missions against simulated threats and directing artillery firing before mechanized infantry troops and tanks moved in to secure target areas, according to the Army. During the training, South Korean fighter jets dropped more than 30 live munitions, including an MK-84 bomb capable of penetrating 60 centimeters of concrete to target bunkers or hardened structures. North Korea has long denounced the allies' military drills as a rehearsal for an invasion against it, while South Korea and the US have said such drills are defensive in nature. (Yonhap)
