American F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes Off South Korea

A US F-16 fighter jet has crashed in waters off South Korea’s west coast on Wednesday morning local time, according to initial reporting by Yonhap news agency. The pilot is reported to have ejected from the aircraft and was promptly rescued, after descending to the ocean.

“The fighter jet crashed into the water and the rescued pilot is safe,” Yonhap reports of the incident which occurred near Gunsan, in North Jeolla province. 

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon over South Korea, illustrative: USAF

Though details have been scant, US Forces Korea have confirmed the crash. There doesn’t appear to have been any casualties as a result of the accident.

The Korean peninsula has witnessed a significant rise in tensions especially going back to last summer, when the US parked a nuclear submarine in a South Korean port for the first time since the 1980s.

From there, Pyongyang has ramped up its ballistic missile tests and military drills, which have been met with a rise in joint US-South Korean drills. However, it is as yet unclear whether this fresh jet crash came within the context of joint exercises.

A mere month ago there was a similar crash of an American F-16 fighter jet, which was also in Gunsan, and it happened during a training exercise, the details of which can be reviewed in a military publication.