On the 6th, two KF-16 pilots involved in the accidental bombing of a civilian house in the Pocheon area of Gyeonggi Province received a one-year suspension of their qualifications.
On the 21st, the Air Force stated that it decided this during a qualification assessment for the two KF-16 pilots at the Air Force Headquarters that day.
The qualification assessment for air duty is a procedure to evaluate whether pilots can maintain their qualifications while continuing to carry out their missions, and it can lead to decisions ranging from suspension to dismissal.
An Air Force official explained the reason no dismissal decision was made, noting, "It is because the investigation into the accident is not yet complete. First, after the suspension, once the investigation by the Ministry of National Defense is concluded, we will conduct another qualification assessment."
On the 6th, during training, a military aircraft dropped a bomb on a civilian home due to a mistake in the pilot's input of target coordinates in the Pocheon area of Gyeonggi Province, injuring dozens of civilians and military personnel.
In relation to this accidental bombing incident, the Air Force dismissed the squadron leader (colonel) and battalion commander (lieutenant colonel) of the unit to which the pilot belonged on the 11th.
The investigation agency of the Ministry of National Defense indicted the two pilots involved in the incident on the 13th on charges of professional negligence resulting in injury.