A South Korean village near the North Korean border was accidentally bombarded by two fighter jets from the Southern Air Force on Thursday, causing 15 people to be injured and injured their homes and churches.
According to the Confederate forces, the Jets were participating in a joint exercise with the US military when each dropped four bombs. The bomb was intended to hit range several miles from the village, but at least one of the South Korean pilots entered inaccurate coordinates, the military said.
The four injured people were seriously injured and needed surgery, officials from Pocheon, a town that includes the village of Nogok where the bomb was falling. Of the other 11 people, seven were shocked and suffered minor injuries from falling. Local news outlets said none of the victims were in critical condition.
The military said it has suspended all live-action training while the investigation is underway. Thursday's exercise was related to an annual joint exercise known as the Freedom Shield, which is conducted annually by the South Korean and US troops and is scheduled to officially commence on Monday.
There were no immediate comments from the US military.
A Nogoku woman who runs a shop in her home said she was there when an “earthquake-like” explosion rattles the village and smashes windows into her house and neighbor's house. Her home was 700 feet from where the most severe damage was reported.
Photos carried by a local news outlet showed a house with part of the village walls and a tiled roof blown away. They also show damage to the Catholic Church, scattering branches torn from the pine trees.
The South Korean Air Force did not say that out of the eight bombs, the number of the bombs, had hit many Nogoku. It issued an apology and promised compensation to the victim.
On Thursday, South Korea and the US military said this year's Freedom Shield exercises will begin on Monday and on the past 11 days. However, recently they have begun small joint drills in connection with the main exercise.
The US has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea. Allies conduct several joint military exercises each year, calling them defensive in nature. The Carl Vinson American Aircraft Carrier Group steamed this week at a Korean port to join the Freedom Shield Exercise.
North Korea bumps into drills and calls it a rehearsal of war.
On Monday, North Korean leaders Kim Yeo-jeong and Kim Jong-un also acted as his spokeswoman, accusing her country of President Trump's “most hostile and confrontational will” and cited the continued joint exercise with South Korea.
“We never limit ourselves to sitting still and commenting on the situation,” Kim said. She indicated that North Korea may resume testing for nuclear-enabled weapons.
