Latest news with #Mk82
ARN News Center
07-03-2025
- Politics
- ARN News Center
South Korea says fighter jet misfire injured rises to 29
The number of people injured after South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area on Thursday increased to 15 civilians and 14 soldiers, the country's defence ministry said. The latest tally included cases of ear damage due to the blasts, as well as people suffering from migraines and anxiety, Defence Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu told reporters on Friday. Two South Korean fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight air-to-surface bombs on a civilian town on Thursday. An ensuing blast shook homes and buildings, video footage showed. The area impacted in Pocheon, which is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, was outside of a training area close to the border with North Korea. Nine of the wounded were currently hospitalised, including two who were seriously hurt, according to the spokesperson. Eight 500-pound (225 kg) Mk82 bombs from two jets fell outside the designated range during joint live-fire exercises due to a pilot entering incorrect coordinates, the military said. Authorities have suspended live-fire exercises until it was clearly established what had gone wrong, but the military said the incident would not affect major joint South Korean and US military exercises starting on Monday. Near the defence ministry in Seoul, dozens of activists and residents from the affected town held a rally on Friday to demand a halt to military drills that threaten the lives and peace of people living in the area. "We, Pocheon citizens, are fundamentally questioning these ongoing military exercises," said Lee Myoung-won, a Pocheon resident at the rally, adding it was unclear who the military drills were providing security for and what they were for.
Dubai Eye
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
South Korea says fighter jet misfire injured rises to 29
The number of people injured after South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area on Thursday increased to 15 civilians and 14 soldiers, the country's defence ministry said. The latest tally included cases of ear damage due to the blasts, as well as people suffering from migraines and anxiety, Defence Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu told reporters on Friday. Two South Korean fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight air-to-surface bombs on a civilian town on Thursday. An ensuing blast shook homes and buildings, video footage showed. The area impacted in Pocheon, which is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, was outside of a training area close to the border with North Korea. Nine of the wounded were currently hospitalised, including two who were seriously hurt, according to the spokesperson. Eight 500-pound (225 kg) Mk82 bombs from two jets fell outside the designated range during joint live-fire exercises due to a pilot entering incorrect coordinates, the military said. Authorities have suspended live-fire exercises until it was clearly established what had gone wrong, but the military said the incident would not affect major joint South Korean and US military exercises starting on Monday. Near the defence ministry in Seoul, dozens of activists and residents from the affected town held a rally on Friday to demand a halt to military drills that threaten the lives and peace of people living in the area. "We, Pocheon citizens, are fundamentally questioning these ongoing military exercises," said Lee Myoung-won, a Pocheon resident at the rally, adding it was unclear who the military drills were providing security for and what they were for.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korean F-16s Just Bombed A Town By Accident
A pair of F-16 fighters operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) accidentally bombed a civilian area during a live-fire military exercise today. The incident took place ahead of large-scale joint maneuvers with U.S. forces in South Korea, the first of their kind since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House. 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. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 6, 2025 민가에 포탄 떨어진 장면공군 훈련 중 KF-16 폭탄 8발 비정상 투하추가 피해 없길… — 국민이라면 (@korearamyun) March 6, 2025 本日午前10時頃韓国京機道浦川市で訓練中の韓国空軍のKF-16からＭK82爆弾8発が民家に誤爆され住民7人の重軽傷者が発生。死者が出なかっただけましか•••。何やってんだよマジで。 — SGT_LEE (@chosin1st) March 6, 2025 : Officials gather in an area with damaged buildings after South Korea's Air Force said that MK-82 bombs accidentally fell from two KF-16 jets outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Pocheon, South… — Voice of America (@VOANews) March 6, 2025 At 10:04 a.m. local time this morning, two ROKAF F-16s dropped eight 500-pound Mk 82 bombs, all of which detonated. The point of impact was the city of Pocheon, around 20 miles south of the heavily militarized border with North Korea and 25 miles north of the South Korean capital, Seoul. It seems the intended target was the Seungjin Fire Training Field close to Pocheon, which today hosted a live-fire exercise involving K2 tanks, K55A1 self-propelled howitzers, AH-64 attack helicopters, and F-35A stealth fighters. South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter jet accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area during a live-fire the drill, a KF-16 jet accidentally dropped 8 x MK-82 bombs outside the designated area.4 people were seriously injured and 3 were slightly injured. — Clash Report (@clashreport) March 6, 2025 The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) has announced that during a Joint-Exercise today with the U.S. Air Force, a KF-16 Multirole Fighter 'accidentally dropped' at least 8 Mk-82 500lb Bombs on the Town of Dong-myeon in the Gyeonggi Province of South Korea, less than 12 Miles… — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 6, 2025 'Our KF-16s abnormally dropped eight shells of Mk 82 bombs. They landed outside of the firing range,' the ROKAF said in a statement to the BBC. KF-16 is the designation for F-16C/Ds assembled locally in South Korea but is sometimes used generically for the entire ROKAF Viper fleet. These are the most numerous fighters in the South Korean air force, with a total of 180 having been acquired in both Block 30 and Block 52 versions. Around 130 of the jets are being upgraded to F-16V standard. Initial reports indicate that 15 people were injured in the incident. Local media say that two of those were now in a serious condition, with fractures to their necks and shoulders. According to the Yonhap news agency, a 60-year-old who had been driving at the time of the incident was left with shrapnel lodged in their neck. There was also extensive damage to buildings in the area, including a church and houses. 'There was a sudden loud roar of a fighter jet, then an explosion rang out. When I went to the scene, there were about four houses that were halved from the damage, people hurt,' Oh Moung-su, a 65-year-old resident, told Reuters. 'Dusk and smoke rose into the sky, water gushed out of a pipe. People in a vehicle going to a construction site were injured — some of them couldn't even get out of the car. Another was outside the car covering his eye.' At this stage, it's unclear why the bombs were dropped here, although a Reuters report, citing the country's military, suggests that one of the pilots entered the incorrect coordinates. It was yet to be determined why the second fighter dropped its bombs, the military said, but confirmed that all live-fire exercises had been suspended for the time being. The ROKAF says it is investigating what happened and will pay compensation to those affected. The maneuvers today occurred ahead of planned combined drills involving South Korea and the United States, known as Freedom Shield. These are the first of their kind under the new Trump administration and are due to run from March 10 to 20. South Korean military officials say today's incident will not affect this schedule. All of this comes at a time when South Korea and the United States are increasingly concerned about the deepening military alliance between North Korea and Russia. Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, North Korea has emerged as a key backer for Moscow, providing troops as well as millions of rounds of ammunition and other weaponry. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Freedom Shield drills will reflect 'lessons learned from recent armed conflicts' and North Korea's expanding partnership with Russia. Incidents involving live-fire exercises in South Korea are also not unheard of. During a joint U.S.-South Korea drill in 2022, a short-range ballistic missile was launched and malfunctioned, crashing into a golf course at a military base. The warhead didn't detonate, but there was a significant fire. On other occasions, stray munitions have landed near civilian residences in South Korea but have rarely caused injuries. In 2004, a ROKAF F-5B mistakenly released a practice bomb over Boryeong, 85 miles south of Seoul, but no one was harmed. In this latest case, it is especially alarming since these were live weapons — a full 4,000 pounds nominal weight in total — that detonated in a city with a population of around 140,000. There is also the fact that this occurred in close proximity to the North Korean border. Certainly, the results could have been much worse in terms of both civilian casualties and repercussions. While the South Korean military insists that today's incident will not affect the Freedom Shield drills, it will undoubtedly raise questions about the relative safety of live-fire exercises on the peninsula. In that sense, the timing is especially unfortunate for Seoul, as it prepares to begin the first large-scale joint maneuvers with the U.S. military under the new Trump administration, at a time of raised tensions with the North. Contact the author: thomas@
CBC
06-03-2025
- General
- CBC
South Korea air force jets accidentally drop bombs on homes, injuring 15
Social Sharing South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian district on Thursday, injuring 15 people and damaging houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, the Air Force and fire agency said. The fire agency said in a statement that 15 people were wounded, including two who were seriously hurt. Pocheon is about 40 kilometres northeast of Seoul, near the heavily militarized border with North Korea. "There was a sudden loud roar of a fighter jet, then an explosion rang out.. When I went to the scene, there were about four houses that were halved from the damage, people hurt," said Oh Moung-su, a 65-year-old resident. "Dusk and smoke rose into the sky, water gushed out of a pipe. People in a vehicle going to a construction site were injured -— some of them couldn't even get out of the car. Another was outside the car covering his eye." South Korea's Air Force said eight 225-kilogram Mk82 bombs from two KF-16 jets fell outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises. "We are sorry for the damage caused by the abnormal drop accident, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery," the Air Force said in a statement. The accident was due to a pilot entering incorrect coordinates, said a military official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. The official said that the two jets then dropped four bombs each, with all of them detonating. Authorities would suspend live-fire exercises until there was a clear understanding of what went wrong, but the incident would not affect major joint South Korean and U.S. military exercises due to begin on Monday, the official said. Residents in the area have protested about the disturbance and potential danger from nearby training grounds for years. Photographs from the scene showed a house hollowed out by the impact, shattered windows and a church building strewn with debris. Security camera footage aired on local TV also caught the moments leading up to the incident, with a pickup truck driving on a tree-lined street before the area is consumed by a large explosion. "The unthinkable has happened," said Pocheon city mayor Baeck Young-hyeun, who urged the government and military to come up with measures to prevent any further civilian damage. The defense ministry said earlier on Thursday that South Korea and U.S. forces were holding their first joint live-fire exercises in Pocheon, linked to annual military drills due to start next week. The Freedom Shield joint drills, which will run from March 10 to 20, aim to strengthen the readiness of the alliance for threats such as North Korea, the Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said before the accident. This year's drills will reflect "lessons learned from recent armed conflicts" and North Korea's growing partnership with Russia, it added. "Our planners look across the globe and identify the trends that are changing and we look at how we can incorporate that into our exercises," Ryan Donald, a spokesperson for the United States Forces Korea (USFK), told a media briefing on Thursday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
06-03-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
South Korea Air Force Jets Accidentally Drop Bombs on Homes, 15 Injured
Fifteen people were injured in South Korea on Thursday after bombs dropped by fighter jets landed in a civilian district, damaging houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, the Air Force and the fire department said. The Gyeonggi-do Bukbu Fire Services said in a statement that 15 people were wounded, out of which two were seriously hurt. Pocheon is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, near the heavily militarized border with North Korea. South Korea's Air Force said eight 500-pound (225kg) Mk82 bombs from KF-16 jets fell outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises. "We are sorry for the damage caused by the abnormal drop accident, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery," Reuters quoted the Air Force as saying in a statement. Residents in the area have protested about the disturbance and potential danger from nearby training grounds for years. Residents were evacuated around midday as authorities checked whether there were any unexploded bombs, Yonhap news agency said. Reuters' photographs from the scene showed shattered windows and a church building strewn with debris. The defense ministry said earlier on Thursday that South Korea and US forces were holding their first joint live-fire exercises in Pocheon, linked to annual military drills due to start next week. South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual Freedom Shield exercise on Monday, said Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The joint drills, which will run until March 20, aim to strengthen the readiness of the alliance for threats such as North Korea, the JCS said. This year's drills will reflect "lessons learned from recent armed conflicts" and North Korea's growing partnership with Russia, it added. "Our planners look across the globe and identify the trends that are changing and we look at how we can incorporate that into our exercises," Ryan Donald, a spokesperson for the United States Forces Korea (USFK), told a media briefing on Thursday. About 70 combined field training sessions are scheduled for this year's exercise, said Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for Seoul's JCS.
