A frightening incident occurred in Daegu, South Korea, when an elementary school girl was injured after an object resembling a bullet struck her while she was playing in a playground. Initial investigations found the site was only about 1.4 kilometers from a military shooting range, prompting the military to immediately suspend all shooting exercises nationwide to review safety precautions.
The South Korean Army announced a suspension of rifle training exercises across all units nationwide to conduct a thorough safety review after a girl was injured by what is believed to be a "stray bullet" near a playground in Daegu city on Monday (16 Mar).
Police and military officials reported the incident occurred at approximately 16:03 on Monday near a playground close to Gukwoo Elementary School. The unnamed girl was struck by a suspicious object below her neck and was promptly taken to the hospital. Fortunately, the injury was not life-threatening, and she has since been discharged to recover at home.
Preliminary investigations revealed that at the time of the incident, military personnel stationed about 1.4 kilometers from the playground were conducting live-fire rifle training. The military is urgently verifying whether the object was an actual bullet and if it is directly linked to the live-fire exercises conducted that day.
A military spokesperson stated, "We will conduct safety inspections at all military shooting ranges and assess all potential risks before deciding when to resume training exercises."
The shooting range involved was built in 1995 and had no prior confirmed accident reports. The facility includes safety structures such as backstops designed to contain bullets. Although civilian accidents during military exercises are extremely rare in South Korea, an unexpected incident occurred in 2020 when a golf caddie in South Jeolla Province was accidentally shot in the head by a rifle bullet during nearby training, requiring emergency surgery.
Last year, the military also suspended training exercises and flight drills after a fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on a village in Pocheon city, injuring nearly 30 civilians.
Authorities confirmed that the current investigation will focus on whether strict safety protocols were followed and whether enhanced preventive measures are necessary to avoid similar accidents in the future.