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Two pilots booked over Pocheon bombing accident which left 43 injured

Published: 13 Mar. 2025, 10:41

LEE SOO-JUNG
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Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Young-su bows after delivering a public apology in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on March 10. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of National Defense on Thursday booked two pilots with occupational negligence after they accidentally dropped bombs in a town in Gyeonggi’s Pocheon last week.

The Defense Ministry’s investigation headquarters confirmed that the pilots' error in typing coordinates directly caused the accident, which resulted in 43 injuries — 29 civilians and 14 soldiers.

On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets from the Korean Air Force mistakenly dropped eight unguided MK-82 bombs on the village. The pilot of the first jet reportedly entered the wrong coordinates and skipped the first verification procedure, citing a printer error.

Authorities vowed to continue investigating to identify other direct and indirect factors contributing to the incident.

On Tuesday, the Air Force dismissed two senior officers — a colonel and a lieutenant colonel — after finding they had poorly overseen safety protocols.

The casualty count has risen from seven on the day of the accident to 38 on Tuesday, and 43 as of Wednesday.

BY CHO MOON-GYU [[email protected]]