[Reporter’s Notebook] "A Bolt from the Blue" Becomes Reality

‘Cheongcheonbyeokryeok (靑天霹靂·a bolt from the blue)’ has become a reality. This refers to the accidental bombing and collision incidents involving the Air Force and Army. Bombs suddenly dropped from a clear spring sky?this is not a story from a movie, but reality....

Residents of Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, are taking refuge even though it is not wartime. The absurd incidents have also dealt a direct blow to the military. All medium-altitude unmanned reconnaissance drones have become inoperable, creating a gap in reconnaissance against North Korea.

The incident began with the Air Force KF-16 fighter jet accidental bombing on the 6th. Two KF-16s participating in the ROK-US combined joint firepower live-fire exercise dropped eight MK-82 bombs not on the target coordinates but in the direction of residential areas. This accident resulted in 38 people sustaining minor to serious injuries and a total of 166 cases of property damage, including buildings and vehicles.

However, another shocking incident occurred. Just eleven days later, on the 17th, a Heron unmanned reconnaissance drone belonging to the Army Ground Operations Command collided with a KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter that was moored during landing. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but both assets were completely destroyed. This consecutive incident is unprecedented.

The Air Force says it is the first such incident in 21 years since the 2004 practice bomb accidental bombing. It is difficult to find similar cases where live ammunition accidental bombing caused civilian injuries and property damage. The Army accident is no different. Such types of accidents usually occur only during wartime. During the 1991 Gulf War, 35 out of 148 coalition combat deaths (24%) were caused by friendly fire. This is an incident that cannot happen in peacetime.

It is noteworthy that these accidents occurred amid a prolonged leadership vacuum in the military’s top command, including the Minister of National Defense, following the December 3 emergency martial law. As similar accidents occur one after another, voices expressing concern about ‘military discipline deterioration’ are already emerging. The military should not only emphasize personal responsibility but also examine whether there are systemic factors that directly or indirectly contributed to the accidents.

For example, in the Air Force case, pilot errors in inputting target coordinates and commanders’ negligence in management appear to be primary causes. However, it is also necessary to investigate whether technical issues such as errors in the output of the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) and malfunctions of the Data Transfer Cartridge (DTC) exacerbated the mistakes. The Army has just formed an accident investigation committee, so the results cannot be predicted yet. However, since all three introduced aircraft are now inoperable for whatever reason, thorough evaluation and countermeasures must follow.

Many frown upon hearing news from the military. Citizens, already losing sleep over worries about the country, now have to worry about military discipline as well.