[On-site Coverage] Boryeong Doksan-ri Residents Gripped by Fear of Stray Rounds from Air Force Shooting Drills

Shell Casings Scattered Throughout the Village
Residents Endure 40 Years of Fear

"We live in constant fear because we worry that live ammunition could come flying at any time."

Residents near Doksan-ri Village in Ungcheon-eup, Boryeong-si, Chungcheongnam-do are living in daily anxiety due to shell casings that have fallen as a result of Air Force shooting drills in the area.

When the reporter visited the scene on April 3, residents showed piles of shell casings they had collected from their yards and vegetable gardens and pleaded for countermeasures.

The village was thrown into turmoil when, around March 20, residents discovered dozens of shell casings scattered throughout the village, apparently dropped during shooting drills conducted by Air Force aircraft.

The shell casings fell right in the middle of the village. They were found in dozens of places, including house yards, on rooftops, and in vegetable gardens.

Residents explained that the entire village was littered with shell casings, with some deeply embedded in the ground or even piercing through greenhouses.

Kim Jin-hak, head of Doksan-ri Fishing Village Association, is pointing to the location where the shell casing was found. Photo by Kwangyon Oh

The residents shared their shock, saying, "When we found the shell casings stuck in the ground and looked around, it turned out the whole village was like a shell casing field."

Kim Jin-hak, head of the Doksan-ri Fishing Village Association, expressed his frustration, saying, "All 40 households in the village are living each day in fear for their lives. Shooting drills have continued for 40 years, and currently, they are conducted about five days a week."

Kang Man-myung (age 60), who moved from Maehyang-ri five years ago upon retirement to find peace and quiet, said, "I never paid much attention before, but after seeing shell casings embedded all over my house, I realized I could actually die. There have been no injuries so far, but since we don’t know what could happen, I am considering moving again."

Residents Gathering Shell Casings Found in Doksan-ri Village Photo by Gwangyeon Oh

Residents have also raised the possibility that military aircraft may have deviated from their flight paths. Song Kuk-young (age 66) said, "Now, even the sound of airplanes terrifies me. Unless they relocate all the residents, we simply cannot live here out of fear."

Kim Ye-soon (age 89) said, "Even just the sound of airplanes is frightening and terrifying. I collected five shell casings near my house, and a few days ago, the military came and collected them themselves," expressing her anxiety.

The Asia Business Daily attempted several times to contact the 20th Fighter Wing and the Operations Command of the Air Force for a statement on this matter, but was unable to reach them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.