A naval gun attached to a South Korean patrol boat has misfired due to unidentified technical defects, wounding a sailor on board, Navy officers said Thursday.
The 76-millimeter naval gun on a guided-missile patrol killer, or PKG, “misfired late Wednesday as the ship was returning to Pyeongtaek port, some 76 kilometers south of Seoul, after canceling its planned firing drill due to the gun’s prior malfunctioning,” a naval officer said.
The ship was affiliated with the Second Fleet Command in charge of the country’s western naval sector.
The 21-year-old injured seaman, identified by his surname Oh, was listed in critical condition after undergoing an emergency operation at a nearby hospital, they said.
“While loading the gun, the service personnel detected problems and tinkered with the power supply. When turning on the power supply gadget, the gun was suddenly discharged,” the officer said.
As the shell was fired some 6.2 kilometers away from the land and then self-destructed, no other damages were reported, according to the officers, adding investigation is under way to find the exact cause of the accident.
The 76mm gun was produced in Italy and was later upgraded by a South Korean company. (Yonhap)
