The South Korean military is set to gradually resume live-fire training after a 12-day suspension following an accidental bombing by an Air Force fighter jet in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
On Tuesday, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced the completion of safety evaluations for shooting ranges for the entire military as of March 14, following the accidental bombing that occurred on March 6.
To maintain combat readiness, the military will resume live-firing training using small arms less than 5.56mm caliber at general outposts (GP), guard posts (GOP), rapid response forces, current operational forces, and basic training units for recruits starting today. This excludes the Pocheon area.
The use of land and naval crew-served weapons, along with tank and artillery fire, is planned to resume in stages according to priority.
The Ministry of National Defense stated that the resumption of Air Force aircraft firing exercises and live-fire training in the Pocheon area will be determined separately, considering the implementation of preventive measures by the Air Force and the stabilization of the Pocheon area.
The Pocheon fighter jet accidental bombing incident occurred on March 6 when two KF-16 fighter jets accidentally dropped eight air-to-ground bombs approximately 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) away from the intended target area during a live-fire exercise.
Following the incident, the South Korean military suspended all scheduled live-fire training until the cause of the accident could be identified. On March 10, they released preliminary investigation results indicating that the pilot had incorrectly input the target coordinates.
