Image by Thomas Evans.

At a glimpse, the 7-foot cylindrical silhouette of the MK-82, a 500-lbs bomb manufactured by General Dynamics, could be mistaken for a human being falling from the sky. With an 89 kg explosive payload, the bomb shreds its steel hull upon impact, scattering shrapnel that can rip flesh and bone over a lethal radius the size of a soccer field-sized. Designed to be deployed in large numbers, the MK-82 was created to saturate battlefields in storms of fire and metal shards. First deployed by the US Air Force in the 1950s, the MK-82 has left a trail of impact craters, maimed bodies, and mass graves across the world from Vietnam to Iraq. Today, it is one of the primary weapons in Israel’s arsenal of genocide. On March 6, 2025, the unsuspecting village of Nogok-ri, close to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which bisects the Korean peninsula, became the target of eight MK-82 bombs dropped by two Republic of Korea Air Force fighter jets participating in a live-fire military drill with US Forces Korea. The resulting blasts sent tremors throughout Nogok-ri, damaging 142 homes, a local church, and other infrastructure. In the days following the bombing, 33 injuries were reported.

Nogok-ri is a small hamlet on the northern edges of Pocheon, a city of roughly 160,000 people less than 20 miles from the DMZ. Most of the city’s residents are employed by the city’s farms and factories, but another defining characteristic of Pocheon is its militarization. Pocheon is encircled by US and ROK firing ranges, places where the militaries of both nations train daily with live ammunition ranging from small arms to tanks, mortars, rocket firing systems, and even airstrikes with weapons like the MK-82. For decades, Pocheon’s residents have spoken out against the firing ranges. The constant sound of gunfire and detonated explosives is a unique kind of torture unimaginable for those who have never heard the crack of a bullet, much less the blast of a 500-lbs bomb. The chemical byproducts of weapons and the daily operations of the US and ROK militaries poison the air, soil, and water. And of course, military “accidents” are all-too-common. In one interview with Reuters in 20XX, a Pocheon resident described how he would collect stray shells to sell as a child; another resident incorporated bullet casings and other military detritus into the construction of his home. In Pocheon, as in so many places occupied by the US military, the lines between war and peace blur to nearly meaningless distinction.

Pointing fingers

In the wake of the Nogok-ri bombing, the ROK government moved swiftly to scapegoat the pilots, who are said to have entered incorrect coordinates during their training exercise. South Korean organizations and anti-base activists have severely criticized the narrative pushed by the ROK government and media. If it is relevant at all, human error is only a small part of the story, and emphasizing it leaves the role of US and ROK military authorities out of the picture. While US and ROK war drills are officially termed “joint military exercises,” the structural relationship between the two militaries cannot be described as one between equal parties. The ROK military’s very existence is a product of the US occupation of Korea that began after WWII; to this day, the US military retains operational wartime command over its ROK counterpart. Decisions regarding the budgeting, arsenal, and organization of the ROK military are not made independently, but in tight coordination with Washington. As a matter of course, the military drill that resulted in the bombing of Nogok-ri almost certainly featured US military officials in a commanding role. A statement from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions brings the responsibility of the US and ROK military authorities into clear relief:

This is an accident that would not have happened if the South Korean and US military authorities had not conducted live-fire training using large-scale combat equipment in the first place. Even in the unprecedented situation where the commander-in-chief of the Korean military was arrested on charges of mobilizing the military to instigate a civil war, the South Korean and US military authorities forced through live-fire training in the border area…the South Korean and US military authorities are not only increasing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but are also threatening the lives and safety of residents in the border area. Responsibility for this accident lies with the South Korean and US military authorities who forced through extremely dangerous training at the expense of the lives of residents in the border area.

As the KCTU’s statement alludes to, the US and ROK have undertaken a drastic escalation in military activity on the peninsula in recent years. The military drill that decimated Nogok-ri took place as part of the lead-up to Freedom Shield, a massive series of hundreds of war games held annually each spring that ran from March 10 to 21 this year. The US and ROK describe Freedom Shield and other joint war games as “defensive” military exercises. Yet, the........

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