Statement from the Committee for the Preparation of a Sovereign Alliance
Immediately halt the U.S.-South Korea joint military drills, including bombing civilian areas and preemptive strikes against North Korea!
On March 6th, at approximately 10:05 AM, during a U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise near Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon City, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped bombs on civilian areas. The bombs fell about 8 km away from the originally intended target range, in a civilian area. As a result, 29 people, including 15 local residents and 14 soldiers, were injured, and 59 households were affected. The bombs also damaged five houses, a warehouse, a church, a 1-ton truck, and a greenhouse. Residents of border areas, as well as the entire population of South Korea, are suffering from extreme fear and anxiety.
How could such a horrific accident occur again? The military authorities announced that the cause of the incident was a “mistake” in the targeting coordinates entered by the pilots of the KF-16 fighter jets. The pilot of the first jet mistakenly entered the wrong coordinates and dropped the bombs without confirming alignment through system upload or visual observation. The second pilot followed suit. It is hard to believe that the pilots could not distinguish between a training area and a civilian area when they directly pressed the button to release the bombs. Furthermore, the announcement of the accident occurred 1 hour and 37 minutes after the incident, which raises further concerns. The military authorities must clearly explain the cause of the incident and the response process.
The MK-82 bombs used in the incident are 227 kg (500 pounds) general-purpose bombs, filled with tritonal explosive material (87-88 kg), which has significantly more explosive power and lethality than TNT. When one bomb detonates, the blast radius reaches 10 meters in diameter and 3 meters in depth, with a kill radius extending to the size of a football field. Two KF-16 fighter jets dropped a total of 8 bombs on civilian areas, all of which exploded. The consequences would have been unimaginable had the bombs hit nearby schools or other densely populated areas.
This incident occurred during the preliminary drills for the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise, “Freedom Shield (FS),” scheduled from March 10th to 20th. The joint military exercise involved the U.S. Forces Korea and the South Korean Air Force and Army, with 13 fighter jets, including F-35A, F-15K, KF-16, and FA-50, participating in over 30 live-fire bombing drills. U.S.-South Korea joint commanders, including General JB Brunson of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, General Kim Myung-soo of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea, and Deputy Commander Kang Shin-cheol, were directly involved in observing the training and managing the aftermath of the incident. The U.S. and South Korean military command cannot evade responsibility for this bombing incident.
The “2025 Freedom Shield” drills, marking the first exercise since the Trump administration’s second term began, will simulate preemptive strikes on North Korea’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile launch sites, based on the new operational plan “OPLAN 2022.” The drills will involve extensive live-fire exercises, with all types of military assets used, including ground, air, sea, cyber, and space forces. In addition, electronic warfare drills, such as drone attacks, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks, will also take place. As long as the U.S. and South Korea continue their hostile policies toward North Korea and conduct provocative military exercises, North Korea’s strong backlash will only escalate, further threatening peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.
We strongly condemn the U.S. and South Korean authorities for provoking war and escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula with large-scale military exercises, resulting in another bombing of civilian areas during live-fire drills.
Peace on the Korean Peninsula and war exercises can never coexist. If true peace is desired, the U.S. must halt these military drills and withdraw its forces from this land.
- Thoroughly investigate the cause of the fighter jet bombing of civilian areas and hold those responsible accountable!
- This land is not the U.S. military’s war training ground. Immediately cease all U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises!
- Immediately halt preemptive strike drills against North Korea that escalate the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula!
- Stop war confrontation with North Korea and initiate North Korea-U.S. peace talks!
- Investigate the war-provocation and foreign exchange criminals involved in the insurrection attempts by the Yoon Seok-yeol regime!
March 7, 2025
Committee for the Preparation of a Sovereign Alliance (Provisional)
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