North Korea says South's bombing mishap could spark 'new armed conflict'

North Korea says South's bombing mishap could spark 'new armed conflict'
by Thomas Maresca
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 12, 2025

North Korea condemned an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise Wednesday, saying another incident like Seoul's recent accidental bombing of its own village near the DMZ could lead to "a new armed conflict."

A pair of South Korean KF-16 fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a residential area in the city of Pocheon during a live-fire exercise Thursday, injuring 31 people and damaging dozens of buildings.

A commentary by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday said that the mishap's proximity to the inter-Korean border raised the ominous possibility of triggering a major conflict.

"What merits ... attention is the fact that the case occurred near the southern border of the DPRK on the eve of the large-scale joint military exercises simulating a total war," the unsigned statement said.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

"There is no need to explain how the situation would have developed if a bomb had been dropped towards the north a little further to cross the border of the DPRK," KCNA said. "It is not unreasonable to imagine that an accidental spark might plunge the Korean peninsula and the region and the rest of the world into a new armed conflict."

Pocheon is around 16 miles from the DMZ and is near a live-fire training complex regularly used by the allies.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries began their annual springtime Freedom Shield joint exercise on Monday. Seoul's Defense Ministry has suspended all live-fire drills until the exact cause of the bombing accident is determined, however.

While Washington and Seoul say their joint drills are defensive, the KCNA commentary called the exercises "dangerous and undesirable doings germinating a touch-and-go situation, the world's first nuclear war."

On Monday, North Korea fired a salvo of close-range ballistic missiles into the Yellow Sea following a pair of statements criticizing Freedom Shield and warning of retaliatory provocations.

Despite facing a raft of international sanctions, Pyongyang has continued to develop its nuclear and missile programs. On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the construction site of the country's first "nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine," according to a KCNA report.

While the report did not provide specific details about the submarine, the North generally uses the term "strategic" to indicate that missiles are nuclear-capable.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Washington condemns the North's "unlawful and destabilizing actions."

"The U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance is ironclad, and the Trump administration remains in close contact with our South Korean counterparts as we work together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific," she said at a press briefing.