ROK Air Force fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb

"We heard a bang, then went outside and saw a lot of smoke. The houses near the church, where the bomb fell, were blown away."

“At first, the impact was so big that I thought there was an earthquake,” said Kim Ok-ja, 71, a resident of Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon city, Gyeonggi Province, where an Air Force fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb around 10:05 a.m. on Thursday.

When a Dong-A Ilbo reporter visited the accident site that day, it looked like war had swept through. The impact of the misfire had blown out the windows of a neighboring house, and greenhouses had collapsed. Shards of metal and glass littered the streets, and water pipes had burst, leaking in some places.

Residents said the fighter jet flew lower than usual before the incident. “Before the bomb fell, I heard a loud noise, like an airplane flying low for four to five seconds, followed by the sound of the bomb,” said Kim Seok-yeong, 67.

Two people were seriously injured, and 13 others suffered minor injuries in the accident. Those we met at the hospital had ruptured eardrums, abrasions on their faces, and torn muscles. “I'm scared,” repeated a 30-year-old Myanmar national, who said he was knocked unconscious by the bomb while working in a greenhouse.

Residents who witnessed or heard the accident also complained of physical and psychological distress. “I saw chunks of iron flying outside—they looked like bomb fragments,” said Cho, 31, who reported that bomb fragments had fallen into his shop. “The glass in my car and the tempered glass inside the shop were all shattered.” “All the doors and windows in the house were blown off, so we can't get in at all,” said Lim, 63, whose house is next to the accident site. “I'm still shaken from the accident, and I took Cheongsimhwan to calm down,” Kim Jin-ok, 77, said.

The accident has heightened anxiety about living in the North Korean border region. Last year, there was also the trash balloon incident and loud North Korean propaganda broadcasts directed at the South. “It's very startling to think that a bomb fell near the restaurant during busy hours,” said Kim, who runs a restaurant. “There are so many troops, and Pocheon already feels unsettled. This incident only adds to the situation, making me sigh.”


포천=조승연 기자 cho@donga.com