US, South Korea we resume a few live fire exercises after accidental bombardments

Seoul, South Korea-US and South Korea resumed live fire exercises with small arms on Tuesday after a 12-day break requested by a accidental bombardment that injured 38 people earlier this month.

The Ministry of National Defense of South Korea, following a military safety assessment, approved the resumption of 5.56 mm rounds “to maintain the training,” he said in a press release on Tuesday.

The main assault rifle of the South Korean army, K2, uses 5.56 mm rounds, the same caliber as the M-16 of the American army.

American forces Korea, which supervises 28,500 US troops in the peninsula, is in daily communication with the Ministry of Defense and will follow its live guidance, Col. said Tuesday. Army Ryan Donald.

The live fire training remains suspended in Pocheon, about 20 miles south of the demilitarized area, because the Air Force in South Korea continues to work on “measures to prevent the recurrence” of the incident, according to the statement. The military will resume the reserves and live-foc artillery at a later date, the ministry said.

The change of policies comes almost two weeks after two KF-16 South Korean fighter jets gave up eight free fall bombs on a residential area outside a Pocheon practice, injuring 38 people.

A preliminary investigation of the South -Korean army found that the pilots incorrectly introduce incorrect bombing coordinates and did not visually confirm the target before release the bombs. Both pilots were accused of criminal negligenceE, according to the ministry.

On Monday, the South -Korean army interrupted several operations of unanswered air vehicles, after a drone collided with a stationary helicopter on an Army Army in Yangju, about 15 miles north of Seoul.

The drone was deprived of its course “for unknown reasons”, while trying to land, hitting a parked helicopter, said the army spokesman, Bae Seok-Jin during a news briefing on Tuesday.

No wounds were reported, but the drone was destroyed, and the helicopter was damaged by a fire, according to the ministry.

The loss of the drone has not created a gap in supervision, and Seoul continues to monitor North Korea using a variety of recognition assets, Lt. South Korean army, Lt. Yang Seung-Kwan, a spokesman for the common chiefs of the personnel.

Yang refused to discuss the drone’s mission at the time of the accident or at the status of the UAV assets of the army, citing operational security.

The most recent inconvenience comes against the background of the military exercise of the 10 -day freedom shield between the United States and South Korea. The large-scale preparation, which began March 10, involves 19,000 South Korean troops and an unspecified number of American staff from all over the country.

As part of the exercise, a Lightning II of the F-35C Navy from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft, which touched South Korea on March 2, joined a common air drill on Thursday, along with two F-35AS and Air Forces in South Korea, according to a 7 press community.