Air Force pilots in accidental bombing could face criminal charges: experts

[Naskah Asli]

Two KF-16 fighter jet pilots blamed for accidentally dropping bombs on a village in Pocheon last week could face criminal charges, experts said Tuesday.

South Korea’s Air Force on Monday reaffirmed pilot error as the cause of the accident that left 31 people injured, including 19 civilians, in the village of Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon, near the inter-Korean border, last week. The Air Force stressed that the pilots failed to follow the mandatory procedure of checking the coordinates of their target at least three times both before and after takeoff.

"The pilots could be criminally prosecuted as they cannot legally dodge blame for the accident, even though it occurred during military training," Kim Young-sou, an attorney at Daeryun Law Firm LLC and a former justice at the High Court for Armed Forces told The Korea Herald.

Another expert in military law echoed Kim's sentiment, saying that the pilots could be charged under Article 268 of the Criminal Act for causing injury by occupational negligence. A military advocate-turned-attorney, requesting anonymity, explained that the pilots, if found guilty, could face a maximum prison sentence of five years or a fine of up to 20 million won ($13,722).

“It seems in this case, even though the pilots accidentally dropped the bombs during a military exercise, they could be charged with breaching Article 269 of the Criminal Act,” the attorney said. “The authorities could also find the group commander and the squadron commander of the unit responsible for breaching the law, as they were in charge of overseeing the drill.”

Both the group commander and the squadron commander were dismissed from their posts as of Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said in a text message to reporters. The ministry cited dereliction of duty as the main reason behind their latest decision. Insufficient command management and supervision were other reasons that were cited.

According to an interim investigation report released by the Air Force on Monday, inadequate management was another cause of the accident. The group commander, who was responsible for overseeing the safety of the exercise, failed to do so as related instructions were passed down to the squadron commander, who is lower in rank, the report said.

A military law professor also said that the pilots could be criminally charged, citing past cases, but suggested they are more likely to face a lesser punishment, such as discharge from the military.

“There was a past case in which a lieutenant was sent to prison for accidentally shooting and killing a private during training. But in this case, there were no fatalities, so the punishment is likely to be less severe,” said the professor, who requested anonymity.

The remarks come amid divided views on whether the military officers can be criminally charged due to the fact that the incident occurred during a military exercise.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry launched an in-depth investigation into the incident on Monday, citing the gravity of the situation.

Jung Min-kyung(mkjung@heraldcorp.com)

[Terjemahan Bahasa Indonesia]

Dua pilot pesawat tempur KF-16 yang disalahkan karena tidak sengaja menjatuhkan bom di sebuah desa di Pocheon pekan lalu dapat dijerat hukuman pidana, kata para ahli pada tanggal 12.

Angkatan Udara Korea Selatan pada tanggal 11 menegaskan kembali bahwa penyebab kecelakaan ini adalah kesalahan pilot, dan menyampaikan bahwa akibat kecelakaan ini 31 orang terluka, 19 di antaranya warga sipil. Kecelakaan terjadi di Desa Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon, dekat perbatasan dengan Korea Utara. Angkatan Udara menekankan bahwa para pilot tidak mengikuti prosedur wajib memeriksa koordinat sasaran setidaknya tiga kali sebelum dan sesudah lepas landas.

Pengacara Firma Hukum Daeryun (Perseroan Terbatas) Kim Young-soo (mantan hakim agung Pengadilan Militer) berkata, "Para pilot dapat dijerat hukuman pidana karena secara hukum tidak dapat menghindari tanggung jawab atas kecelakaan meski itu terjadi selama latihan militer."

Ahli hukum militer lain pun sependapat dengan pengacara Kim, menyatakan bahwa para pilot dapat dijerat atas dugaan menimbulkan luka akibat kelalaian dalam pelaksanaan pekerjaan atau profesi. Seorang pengacara mantan aparat hukum militer yang enggan disebutkan namanya menjelaskan, "Bila para pilot dinyatakan bersalah, mereka dapat dikenai pidana penjara paling lama 5 tahun atau denda sebesar 20 juta won (sekitar 13.700 dolar AS)."

Ia berkata, "Kecelakaan kali ini adalah kesalahan yang terjadi selama latihan militer, tetapi ada kemungkinan dijerat atas dugaan pelanggaran Pasal 269 Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP) Korea Selatan," dan menambahkan, "komandan grup dan komandan skuadron yang mengawasi latihan pun dapat memikul tanggung jawab atas pelanggaran hukum."

Kementerian Pertahanan menyatakan bahwa komandan grup dan komandan skuadron diberhentikan dari jabatannya per tanggal 12. Kementerian Pertahanan menyebut kelalaian tugas sebagai penyebab utama, dan turut menyebutkan kurangnya pengelolaan serta pengawasan komando sebagai alasan.

Menurut hasil penyelidikan sementara yang diumumkan Angkatan Udara pada tanggal 11, penyebab lain kecelakaan adalah kurangnya pengelolaan. Laporan itu menyatakan bahwa komandan grup yang bertanggung jawab mengawasi keselamatan tidak menunaikannya dengan semestinya karena instruksi terkait diteruskan kepada komandan skuadron yang berpangkat lebih rendah.

Seorang profesor hukum militer menunjukkan, dengan menyebut kasus masa lalu, bahwa para pilot dapat dijerat hukuman pidana, tetapi menjelaskan bahwa mengingat kejadian kali ini terjadi tanpa korban jiwa, kemungkinan besar mereka dikenai hukuman yang lebih ringan, misalnya pemberhentian dari militer.

Profesor hukum militer yang enggan disebutkan namanya berkata, "Di masa lalu pernah ada kasus seorang letnan dijatuhi pidana penjara karena tidak sengaja menembak dan menewaskan seorang prajurit saat latihan, tetapi kecelakaan kali ini tidak menimbulkan korban jiwa sehingga hukumannya tampaknya akan lebih ringan."

Pernyataan ini muncul di tengah pandangan yang terbelah mengenai apakah para perwira militer dapat dijerat hukuman pidana karena kejadian terjadi selama latihan militer. Kementerian Pertahanan Korea Selatan pada tanggal 11 menyatakan telah memulai penyelidikan mendalam atas kejadian ini dengan mempertimbangkan beratnya situasi.

Jurnalis Jung Min-kyung (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)

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Air Force pilots in accidental bombing could face criminal charges: experts (kunjungi tautan)