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1 Defense Official Killed, 5 Injured in Test-firing Mishap

1 Defense Official Killed, 5 Injured in Test-firing Mishap

Posted December. 04, 2009 09:02,   

한국어

A shell exploded yesterday inside a gun at a live firing range at the Agency for Defense Development in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, killing one employee and injuring five others.

Jeong Gi-chang, 40, died on the spot. Gong Byeong-chang, 31, and Kim Myeon-ung, 36, were seriously injured, and three others suffered minor injuries.

The agency said the explosion occurred when a shell equipped with a fuse from a 155-millimeter gun was test-fired. Sixteen shells out of 16,000 to be delivered from a shell manufacturer were being tested.

An agency official said, “The explosion occurred after five shells were fired. The sixth shell loaded into the gun abruptly exploded,” adding, “The fuse is assumed to have exploded so we stopped the delivery of the 16,000 shells.”

On whether people at the scene were properly outfitted with body armor and safety hats and boots, a military official simply said, “We have no information on that now.”



ysh1005@donga.com