The pilot escaped the Monday morning incident, sources told Yonhap news agency
FILE PHOTO: A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron takes off from the Kunsan Air Base. © US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Jovan Banks
An F-16 fighter jet operated by the US Forces Korea (USFK) crashed during a training exercise over the Yellow Sea on Monday morning, the news agency Yonhap reported, citing military sources.
The incident happened at around 9am local time off the country’s western coast near the city of Gunsan in North Jeolla Province, the report said. The pilot of the warplane ejected and was rescued at sea. No official confirmation of the news was immediately available.
The F-16 is one of about 30 which are part of the US 8th Fighter Wing, which shares Kunsan Air Base with South Korean military assets.
This is the second such incident this year: a US-operated F-16 crashed in May near Osan Air Base in the northwest of the country. The pilot, who was participating in a training routine, ejected and was safely recovered, the US military said at the time.
