On 06, March 2025, a significant incident occurred during a joint military exercise between the Republic of Korea Air Force ROKAF and U.S Air Force, a KF-16 multirole fighter jet accidentally dropped at least eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs on the town of Dong-myeon in the Gyeonggi Province of South Korea, this area is located less than 12 miles from the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the border with North Korea.
Incident took place around 10:04 AM local time during a live-fire training drill, the KF-16 fighter jet participating in the joint exercise, released the bombs outside the designated firing range, resulting in significant damage to civilian structures, a church and several homes were destroyed or damaged, with at least seven residents injured, including four who sustained critical injuries.
South Korean Air Force has expressed deep regret over the incident and has formed an accident response committee to investigate the cause of the malfunction, the committee, led by Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen, Park Ki-wan aims to determine whether pilot error or technical issues were responsible for the accidental release of the bombs, Air Force has also pledged to provide compensation for damages and ensure that necessary measures are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As part of a larger demonstration of military cooperation between South Korea and the United States that reflects their continued commitment to regional security the incident took place during the yearly "Freedom Shield" military exercises which are intended to improve defense readiness against North Korean threats.
Local residents were evacuated as a precaution and a bomb disposal unit was set up to safely remove unexploded devices after an accidental bombing raised concerns about safety of military operations near civilian areas, incident also brought attention to dangers of live fire drills and the necessity of strict safety procedures to avoid similar mishaps.
