A locality in South Korea, Nogok-ri, was impacted by an error from the Army during a military training exercise when two KF-16 fighter jets dropped MK-82 bombs outside the designated area for the drill. This accident left 15 people injured, including two seriously, and caused damage to several homes in the locality, located about 25 kilometers from the border with North Korea.
In an official statement, the South Korean Air Force explained that the accident occurred due to an error in the impact coordinates programmed by one of the pilots. During a live-fire exercise at the Seungjin training ground, which took place on the morning of Thursday, March 6, this unfortunate incident occurred.
The Ministry of Defense is investigating the exact cause of the error but confirmed that the first fighter incorrectly entered the coordinates. Regarding the second aircraft, it is being evaluated whether its failed launch was related to the first one's error. In total, ten people have been hospitalized, including two with serious injuries, although they are not considered life-threatening.
The MK-82 bombs used in the exercise have a high destructive power and are employed to attack infrastructures such as bridges and buildings. According to military data, a single MK-82 bomb can create a crater of up to 8 meters in diameter and has an impact radius equivalent to that of a football field. A response committee led by Lieutenant General Park Ki-wan will investigate the causes and assess the damage caused by this accident.
