Acting Pres. Choi received accidental bombing report 1 hour later

The accidental bombing of civilians by an Air Force fighter jet was found to have been caused by the pilot incorrectly entering a single digit in the target coordinates. Despite this unprecedented accident, which nearly led to a major disaster, the acting Minister of National Defense was informed 39 minutes after the incident, while Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok was briefed about an hour later.

According to military officials on Friday, the Air Force officer piloting the KF-16 on the day of the accident entered coordinates consisting of seven-digit and eight-digit numbers representing latitude and longitude. Investigations revealed that the officer mistakenly input one digit in the latitude. The Air Force's inquiry determined that the officer had not consumed alcohol on the day of the incident or the day before and had no health issues, leading to speculation that the mistake resulted from carelessness in entering and verifying the coordinates, failing to follow fundamental procedures. As of Friday, the number of injured persons has risen to 29, an increase from the 15 initially reported.

Following the accident, the Air Force immediately grounded all aircraft except for those deemed essential for responding to North Korea, including the KF-16 involved in the mishap.


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com