A girl in South Korea was injured by a stray bullet at a playground near where an army live fire drill was taking place.
The elementary school girl was playing in a playground in Daegu city in north Gyeongsang Provinence when she was injured by a sharp object, believed to be a bullet, on Monday afternoon.
The girl, whose identity has not been disclosed, was struck below the neck and was taken to the hospital, local media reports. She has since returned home.
A rifle training exercise was taking place in a shooting range operated by an army unit, located about 1.4km from the playground.
The military has launched an investigation into the incident to identify whether the girl was injured by a bullet discharged during the training exercise.
“We will carry out safety inspections at all army firing ranges and assess potential risks before deciding when to resume training,” an army official said, according to the Korea Herald.
South Korean army spokesperson, Bae Seok-jin, said that “the military has suspended individual firearms training.
“We are investigating on the view that there is a link between the range where firing took place the previous day and the elementary school student’s injury, and we are reviewing it because the (rifle’s) maximum range could reach the location,” he said at the ministry of defence briefing on Tuesday, according to Chosum Biz.
The military training range was built in 1995 and is equipped with protective barriers on its boundaries to avoid such accidents, the Korea Herald said.
Last year, South Korea’s military faced embarrassment and had to suspend live-fire drills after fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs in a residential area, injuring 30 people.
South Korea’s military was holding routine drills to maintain combat readiness against a potential attack from the North when Air Force KF-16 aircraft accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village in Pocheon city.
However, such cases mark rare events of civilian casualties during drills which are regularly held across South Korea, including major war games with allies like US and Japan.
