SEOUL: A US F-16 fighter jet crashed in a farming area south of Seoul during a training exercise on Saturday, said the US military, but appeared to have caused no casualties or property damage.

The jet’s pilot safely ejected before the crash and was taken to the nearest hospital, the US Air Force said in a statement. “An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing crashed in an agricultural area near Osan Air Base at about 9:45 am” in Gyeonggi province, the statement said.

The crash occurred during a routine training exercise, it said, adding an investigation was underway.

The local fire department was dispatched to the crash site and extinguished the fire, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon said on his Twitter account. Local media said the crash involved no casualties or damage as it took place in a rural area.

“There are no civilian homes nearby the crash, causing no further damage (other than the jet),” a police official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

Washington is Seoul’s key security ally and stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to help protect it from the North.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2023