Two S. Korean fighter jets accidentally drop eight bombs on residential area in Pocheon

A frightening accident took place earlier on this Thursday in the city of Pocheon.

Two South Korean fighter jets dropped a series of bombs on a civilian area during training injuring over a dozen people.

Our defense correspondent Kim Bo-kyoung has the latest.

Several civilians were injured, after bombs fell on a residential area in the northern city of Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do Province on Thursday morning.

According to related authorities, bombs had fallen on Pocheon's Nogok-ri at around 10:04 AM destroying several buildings.

Bombs, came from the joint air and ground force live-fire training exercises between South Korea and the U.S., that were being held in connection with the annual springtime exercise, the 2025 Freedom Shield, slated to kick off on March 10th.

The exercise involved the Korean Air Force, Army, and U.S. Forces Korea, taking place at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon with the Air Force deploying a total of 13 combat aircraft including the F-35A, F-15K, KF-16, and FA-50.

No fighter jets of U.S. Forces Korea had been deployed.

Eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were wrongly dropped from two KF-16 fighter jets, four from each.

This, confirmed by the Korean Air Force through a text message to reporters.

MK-82 bombs are used to destroy structures such as buildings and bridges and reportedly have enough power to create a blast crater 8 meters in diameter and 2-point-4 meters deep.

They are dropped using an unguided method, rather than a GPS-guided system.

The wrongly-dropped eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs landed outside the shooting range in a non-designated area.

The impact points of all eight bombs were confirmed, and the Air Force said there were no unexploded bombs.

It has reportedly established an accident response committee, to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident and assess the damage.

The Korean Air Force added that it deeply regrets the civilian damage caused by the bomb drop and expressed sincere wishes for the quick recovery of the injured.

It further noted that necessary measures, including compensation, would actively be carried out.

Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.