Fifteen people were injured in after fighters bombs landed in a civil district, damaging houses and a church during military exercises on Thursday (6) in Pocheon, South Korea.
The information was confirmed by the South Korean Air Force and the Fire Department.
According to a statement published by the authorities, at least 15 people were injured, two of them with serious injuries.
Pocheon is about 40 kilometers from Seoul, near the border with the.
The Air Force said that eight MK82 pumps of KF-16 jets fell off the field of fire during fire exercises.
“We regret the damage caused by the abnormal fall accident and wish the injured a quick recovery,” the Air Force said in a statement.
Residents of the area protest against the disturbance and potential danger of the next training camps for years.
The residents were removed from their homes around noon (local time), while the authorities found if there were non-detonated bombs, the Yonhap news agency said.
The Ministry of Defense said earlier on Thursday that South Korea and US forces were performing their first joint pocheon exercises linked to the annual military exercises that are expected to begin next week.
According to the Seoul Staff (JCS), the United States will begin the annual Freedom Shield exercise next Monday (10).
The joint exercises, which will take place until March 20, aim to strengthen the readiness of the alliance for threats such as North Korea, said JCS.
This year’s practices will reflect “Lessons learned from recent armed conflicts” and North Korea’s growing partnership with Russia, he added.
“Our planners look around the world and identify the trends that are changing and we look how we can incorporate it into our exercises.”
Ryan Donald, a US forces spokesman in Korea (USFK)
About 70 combined field training sessions are scheduled for this year’s exercise, said Lee Sung-Jun, SEOUS JCS spokesman.
