South Korea: Two Air Force unit commanders booked over accidental jet bombing

On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometres north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians, according to an estimate by city authorities.

The two pilots, who are alleged to have erroneously entered the target coordinates prior to the live-fire drills, have been booked on charges of professional negligence resulting in injury and damaging military facilities. The pilots have also been suspended from air duty for one year.

"The ministry plans to refer the two pilots and the unit commanders who have been booked to the military prosecution after the probe concludes and seek disciplinary action against nine officials who were found to have belatedly reported the case and taken insufficient measures," the ministry's criminal investigation command said in a release.

The nine officials include seven from the Air Force and two from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it added.

The ministry also plans to issue a warning against the Air Force's operations commander, holding him accountable for command responsibility and insufficient reporting.

The latest findings reaffirmed an interim probe result earlier released by the Air Force that pointed to pilot error, inadequate management and inspection procedures as key causes of the incident.

The pilots did not initially perceive their mistakes after entering wrong target coordinates in the joint mission planning system computer and unloaded the bombs without visually confirming them, according to the interim result.

The findings also showed the pilots did not conduct preparatory flights along the actual route of the live-fire drills, unlike the other pilots who took part in the March 6 drills, and perceived the mistaken bombing shortly after the incident.

A ministry official said the pilots continue to testify differently on whether the target coordinates were misread or misheard but said such a circumstance does not hinder holding both accountable, Yonhap news agency reported.

Regarding the two unit commanders who have been additionally booked over charges of professional negligence resulting in injury, the ministry said "substantial causality" was identified between their actions and the incident.

"Despite being obliged to confirm and inspect the readiness of pilots for training, they overlooked the risks of a live-fire drill and did not confirm the training plan," the ministry said.

The Air Force dismissed the Colonel-level Group Commander and a Lieutenant-Colonel-level Squadron Commander from their posts last month.