South Korea's Air Force has said one of its fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs in the wrong place during a training exercise, resulting in several civilian injuries.
"Eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were abnormally released from an Air Force KF-16 aircraft, landing outside the designated firing range," the air force said.
The incident occurred at around 10am (1am Irish time) in Pocheon around 25km south of the heavily fortified border with North Korea.
"We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery," the air force said in a statement.
It said it had established an accident response committee to investigate the incident, adding that it would "take all necessary measures, including compensation for damages".
The South Korean Air Force said the military jet had been "participating in a joint live-fire exercise involving both the air force and army".
South Korea had been holding combined live-fire drills with the United States in Pocheon, the Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea's National Fire Agency said that the bombs were "presumed to have fallen on a village during a South Korea-US joint exercise".
This resulted in "casualties and property damage, with many displaced residents", it said, adding that four people had been seriously injured and three suffered minor injuries.
A church building and sections of two houses were damaged, according to the statement.
One local resident told the Yonhap news agency that he had been at home and watching television when the incident happened.
"I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was in chaos," he said.
Residents in the area have protested about the disturbance and potential danger from nearby training grounds for years.
Joint South Korea-US Freedom Shield military exercises, one of the security allies' largest annual joint exercises, are set to begin later this month.
South Korea and North Korea remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The United States stations tens of thousands of soldiers in South Korea, in part to protect Seoul against Pyongyang.
In 2022, a South Korean Hyunmu-2 short-range ballistic missile accidentally crashed into a military golf course in South Korea's eastern Gangwon province after it was fired in response to a North Korean missile launch.
The missile did not explode and no one was injured in that incident.
