Suspected bullet from South Korea army range hits child

South Korea's army said it suspended some trainings nationwide after a bullet hit a child in the neck, prompting a probe.

The incident occurred at playground in the southern city of Daegu on Monday when the child, whose identity was withheld, was injured by a suspected stray bullet from a nearby shooting range, according to officials.

She was taken to hospital and later discharged as she was not in a life-threatening condition.

"The army has halted all firing drills of individual firearms in the wake of the incident," Bae Seok-jin, head of the army's public relations office, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The army launched a probe to determine the cause of the accident, Bae said, adding that a shooting drill was being conducted at the time of the incident.

"The bullet tip was found in the child's wound during hospital treatment," an army official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

In 2020, a golf caddie collapsed on a field in South Jeolla after being struck by a stray bullet fired from a nearby military shooting range and underwent an emergency operation. She survived.

Last year, two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village near the border with the North during a joint exercise with US forces, injuring nearly 30 people.

AFP