THIS is the shocking moment two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight 500-pound bombs on a small town during a joint drill with the US.
At least 15 people were left injured after the military mishap in Pocheon, a city near the heavily fortified border with North Korea.
Shortly after 10am on Thursday, two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets “abnormally” released their MK-82 bombs outside a designated firing range, the South Korean Air Force said in a statement.
The statement read: “We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery.”
The military mishap injured at least 15 people and damaged homes and local buildings, including a church.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene as residents described the moment the bombs fell.
One resident, named Park, told Yonhap News Agency: “I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap, and the whole house shook.
“When I went outside, everything was in chaos.”
At a nearby senior care centre, windows shattered, and one teacher was hospitalised with injuries.
The centre’s director, Yu, said: “Fortunately, none of the seniors were hurt, but they were so frightened that we sent them all home.”
Shocking snaps from the scene showed crumbling roofs and homes almost reduced to rubble.
Cars, shopfronts and even trees were also in the path of destruction.
Loads of debris could be seen scattered across the ground as emergency services cordoned off several areas of the South Korean town.
Authorities confirmed that one bomb exploded upon impact, while a disposal team worked to safely remove the seven unexploded bombs.
Residents living nearby were evacuated as a precaution.
An investigation is now underway.
It said the fighter jets were taking part in the one-day firing drill with the US military.
An unidentified air force official told local reporters that 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 that more investigation was needed to find why the second KF-16 also dropped bombs on a civilian area.
The South Korean Air Force announced it was forming a committee to investigate what caused the “abnormal drop accident” and assess the full extent of the damage.
It also pledged compensation and additional support for affected residents.
The United States has yet to comment on the incident.
The bizarre accident happened as South Korea and the US were conducting joint live-fire drills in Pocheon.
These are part of preparations for their annual Freedom Shield military exercise, which officially kicks off Monday and runs until March 20.
The large-scale drills, designed to boost defence readiness, will reflect “lessons learned from recent armed conflicts” and respond to the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
North Korea, which views US-South Korean exercises as invasion rehearsals, has yet to react.
But Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned earlier this week that Pyongyang could ramp up “strategic” threats in response to what she called increasing US “confrontational actions.”
Thursday’s incident is not the first military mishap during US-South Korean drills.
In 2022, a South Korean ballistic missile malfunctioned and crashed onto a military base golf course, causing panic among residents.
