Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
2 US fighters make forced landing
By Jun Ji-hye
Two U.S. F-16s made a forced landing at a South Korean air base in Gangwon Province Thursday due to suspected fuselage problems, military officers said Friday.
The fighter jets, which were undergoing shooting training at an air range in the province, landed at Wonju Air Base after pilots detected abnormal fuselage signs on their instrument panels.
The jets took off from the U.S. 8th Fighter Wing based in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province.
No casualties have been reported.
“Upon detecting signs of problems with the bodies of the planes, the pilots halted their mission immediately and landed in Wonju,” an officer told reporters, requesting anonymity.
Officers noted that failure with the engine oil system was presumed to be the problem, adding that the maintenance evaluation team in Gunsan was dispatched to Wonju to maintain the aircraft.
Since 2004, The U.S. Air Force has deployed such fighters as F-15s and F-16s in South Korea on a rotational basis every four or six months to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the United Sates Forces Korea against North Korea.
In April, a similar incident occurred as two F-16 jets landed at the commercial airport in Muan, North Jeolla Province, after a sudden engine malfunction.
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