Local resident Park Sung-sook reacts at her damaged house near a bomb accident site in Pocheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Local resident Park Sung-sook reacts at her damaged house near a bomb accident site in Pocheon, South Korea, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea was in shock Thursday after news broke that two fighter jets had mistakenly bombed a local village, wounding 15 people and damaging eight buildings.
Eight bombs, dropped by two locally made KF-16 fighter bombers, hit a village in the county of Pocheon, northeast of Seoul, and 15 miles south of the inter-Korean frontier, midmorning on Thursday.
The village lies just outside the Seungjin Live Fire Range, where South Korea-U.S. firing drills had reportedly been underway. Early indications are that the lead pilot entered incorrect target coordinates.
“We are sorry for the civilian damage from the abnormal [bomb] release accident and wish for the swift recovery of those injured,” South Korea’s Air Force said in a statement, announcing plans for an immediate investigation. “We will actively take all necessary measures, including compensation for the damage.”
In a televised briefing, Pocheon Mayor Paek Young Hyeun called the bombings “awful” and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence, The Associated Press reported.
The embarrassing episode comes just ahead of South Korean-U.S. “Freedom Shield” war games, the first to take place since President Trump took office. The exercises are aimed at deterring North Korea and set for March 10-21.
It is even worse PR for a South Korean military, whose top officers faces parliamentary, media and public scrutiny for their role in last December’s shock martial law decree by now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Thursday’s bombing incident signals problems in the middle ranks of South Korea’s military as well, with implications for Seoul’s combat readiness. But sources tell The Washington Times that little-noticed tactical and technical innovations in the Russian-Ukraine war are overcoming combat leadership skills shortfalls.
Damaged image
“It’s a miracle nobody died: Eight bombs! Can you imagine!” said Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean general. “They need to find out who made the mistake and what the responsibility is.”
Asked if timing was especially bad for the military’s image, he replied: “Yes. We did not need this.”
The bombing incident comes while many of the army’s top officers and commanders of intelligence and counterintelligence operations are under parliamentary and legal probes over their roles in the short-lived martial law decree ordered by Mr. Yoon on Dec. 4.
That night, elite troops deployed to seize control of both the National Assembly and National Election Commission. As angry parliamentarians and civilians gathered, troops backed down: Nobody was injured, let alone killed.
Martial law was voted down within three hours, rescinded in six. Mr. Yoon was impeached and has been tried by the Constitutional Court, which is expected to announce his fate within days.
Despite the nonviolent resolution of the December crisis, “dozens” of troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to local media reports. The commander of the elite 1st Airborne Brigade wept at a parliamentary inquiry, and the commander of the Tier-1 707 Special Mission Battalion broke down during a press conference.
Gen. Chun, who formerly led South Korea’s Special Warfare Command, said he was torn by the incident and its aftermath for the military.
Asked if he was relieved by the restrained behavior of commandos, he answered: “As a retired civilian: Yes.”
But, he continued, “as a military guy, I am worried that if there are ’confusing’ times, I need soldiers who will obey orders. I don’t need soldiers who overthink issues.”
Tech solutions to tactical skill shortfalls
South Korea is not a NATO member, but frequently hosts troop contingents from the U.S. and other allies for exercises. South Korean soldiers have a reputation for being well-armed, well-equipped and well-housed, they say. Despite language barriers and unfamiliar rations, South Koreans work well with their foreign counterparts.
But with Seoul fielding a conscript, not a professional army, weapons skills, fitness and even cold-weather expertise are lacking, foreign observers claim. The most striking skills shortfall is among noncommissioned officers — the corporals and sergeants who, in professional armies, play core roles in leading troops on the ground.
The U.S. Army — a professional force — is the key mentor to South Korea’s army, but the Russian army — which historically suffered from a weak NCO corps — may offer more useful pointers.
A military professional informed about combat in Ukraine, who recently visited South Korea, said Russian forces today are using technical innovations to overcome tactical command weaknesses. Officers oversee assaults in real time from low-level drones hovering directly over the battlefield, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Drones’ detached, vertical positions offer superior views to ground-level perspectives. After spotting Ukrainian positions, officers immediately direct individual soldiers’ movement and fire using the tactical communications net, which every soldier is synced into.
“The Russians are not doing as badly as some say,” the source said, referencing media reports of Russian blunders. Innovations deployed in the ongoing conflict elevate Russian and Ukrainian tactical procedures over those used by NATO forces, the source suggested.
• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.
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