On the 6th, an unprecedented incident occurred where civilians were injured due to the erroneous bombing of two fighter jets. The military authorities, probing the cause, will announce detailed investigation results on the 10th. Based on the pilot's statements of the KF-16 fighter jet, the initial investigation result revealed a pilot's coordinate input error, but further verification is needed concerning the flight recorder and the process of the pilot's coordinate input at that time.
The military authorities announced on the 7th that the pilot of aircraft No. 1 improperly entered one digit of the latitude coordinate among the 15-digit military WGS84 latitude and longitude coordinate system, leading to the accident. Around 10:04 a.m. the day before, during a joint live-fire training exercise between South Korea and the United States, two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-28 bombs near the Pocheon Seungjin Science Training Center. The pilot of aircraft No. 2 entered the correct coordinates, but followed aircraft No. 1 when it dropped its bombs.
The military authorities set up a task force chaired by Kim Seon-ho, the acting Minister of National Defense. The task force, which is investigating the circumstances of the accident, is also checking the compliance of procedures by the pilot of aircraft No. 2. This is due to the fact that the input coordinates of aircraft No. 1 and No. 2 were different, yet aircraft No. 2 incorrectly dropped its bombs following aircraft No. 1. An Air Force official noted, "It is necessary to cross-verify the communication between pilots on the ground or in the air through statements, audio, or flight recorder data."
The task force is also looking into the process by which the fighter jets deviated from the planned flight path. The day before, five KF-21 fighter jets, organized into two squadrons, participated in the training. The squadron composed of the two fighter jets involved in the incident reportedly flew along a route different from the planned one. The situation of the air traffic controller, who should have confirmed the deviation from the flight path, is also a point that needs verification. An Air Force official said, "We are also investigating the role and responsibilities of the air traffic controller."
The military plans to announce the interim investigation results on the 10th. Once the cause is identified, it is expected to lead to the next steps, such as discipline or punishment. According to the military disciplinary enforcement rules, disciplinary actions are categorized into severe and minor penalties based on the degree of misconduct or negligence and intent. As this is the first instance of casualties due to erroneous bombing during a training exercise, there are analyses that predicting the outcome is difficult. A military official stated, "The handling will follow the law and procedures based on the investigation results."
The task force will also actively pursue government compensation for the victims of the fighter jet's erroneous bombing incident. A military official stated, "We have organized a 'victim compensation response team' composed of the legal management office of the Ministry of National Defense, the Air Force Headquarters, and the legal team of the 5th Corps, and it will start operating from today," adding that they will collect residents' opinions regarding compensation and inform them about the procedures and methods of government compensation, among others.
On the same day, Kim said in a public statement, "I sincerely apologize to the residents affected by this incident. The military will do its utmost to concentrate all efforts on recovery and compensation to allow for a swift return to normal life." He added, "We will thoroughly investigate to clearly identify the cause of the accident and take necessary measures and actions to prevent a recurrence of such incidents."