The military will conduct an inspection of the Air Force over its operational discipline and readiness posture this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, following an accidental bombing of a civilian town and a mistaken release of gun pods from an aircraft.
The on-site inspection will begin later in the day, the JCS said in a notice to reporters, without providing further details.
A JCS official said the inspection of Air Force fighter wings is set to run through Friday and may be extended when deemed necessary.
The move follows a series of accidents caused by Air Force assets in March and April that have raised concerns over lax discipline within the armed service.
On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians.
Earlier this month, a KA-1 light attack aircraft taking part in nighttime drills over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometers east of Seoul, accidentally dropped two gun pods and empty fuel tanks. No casualties or property damage have been reported.
The Air Force pointed to pilot errors as the reason for both incidents and apologized to the public over causing concerns, vowing to come up with practical measures to prevent similar accidents. (Yonhap)
