Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze after a South Korean air force F-16C fighter jet crashed in the mountains of North Gyeongsang province, Feb. 25, 2026. (Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters)
A South Korean F-16C fighter jet crashed this week during nighttime aerial training in Yeongju, about 125 miles southeast of Seoul.
The aircraft, assigned to the South Korean air force’s Chungju Base, went down in the mountains of North Gyeongsang province at 7:31 p.m. Wednesday, the air force said in a text message to reporters that day.
The solo pilot on board ejected successfully and was not injured. “No civilian damage has been reported so far,” the air force said.
Emergency responders found the pilot at approximately 8:10 p.m., caught about 65 feet high in a tree by his parachute, according to a report Thursday by the Yonhap News Agency.
Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters declined by phone Thursday to provide details.
The air force has launched a task force led by the vice chief of staff to investigate the cause of the accident, according to the text message.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back was briefed on the accident while in Canada and ordered the military to make every effort to ensure the pilot’s safety and conduct a thorough investigation, the ministry said in a text message Wednesday.
Ahn was in a ministerial meeting with Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty at the time of the accident, according to the ministry.
