Military Training

[Anchor Lead]

The military has resumed training its soldiers to throw actual grenades instead of fake ones after three and a half years. The training with real grenades was suspended following back-to-back accidents in 2014 and 2015, which had left six casualties. Military authority claims to have made the grenades safer.

[Pkg]

A grenade explosion at a Marine Corps training facility in Pohang in September, 2014 killed one trainee and injured two instructors. A year later, the same accident occurred at the new recruit training center of the 50th Army Division in Daegu, this time killing one instructor and injuring two trainees. Military authorities have since then made changes to ensure only dud grenades are used for training. However, experts pointed out soldiers need the experience of handling actual grenades for real combats. The Army resumed training with actual grenades at the non-commissioned officer academy and the Nonsan boot camp since earlier this month. The Marine Corps plans to start the real grenade-throwing training in May. Military authorities claim that they'll be using safer grenades. A new safety feature has been added to allow for visual inspection. Also, the safety handle is now longer and the surface is embossed to prevent slipping.

[Soundbite] Jeon Ha-gyu(Army PR Officer) : "Safer, lightweight fragmentation grenades and practice grenades have been developed. We are resuming training after ensuring safety."

A unique identification number will be marked on the handle to ensure those responsible for any mistake made during the manufacturing process can be identified. However, military authorities failed to find the causes of the two fatal explosions even after three and a half years.