US F-16 fighter aircraft crashes off South Korea’s west coast

This is the second American F-16 fighter jet crash in less than a month, occurring in waters off the west coast of South Korea on Wednesday, January 31, following a reported "in-flight emergency." The pilot was saved, according to media reports, according to the US Air Force unit stationed there. According to a statement from US forces in South Korea, the F-16 Fighting Falcon belonging to the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base had "an in-flight emergency" roughly 180 kilometers south of Seoul and crashed at around 8:41 am (local time). The pilot, who had successfully ejected, was found after a combined rescue operation by US and South Korean officials at around 9:30 am (local time).“He is conscious and was transported to a medical facility for assessment,” the US military said in a statement. The joint efforts and close coordination between the US and South Korea during the operation were also praised in the statement. In December, an ordinary training exercise resulted in the crash of an American F-16 fighter jet. They'd saved the pilot. This came after a second jet crashed in May in a rural area south of Seoul during a regular training exercise. This crash did not result in any additional casualties, and the pilot had also safely ejected.Washington, Seoul's principal security ally, has about 28,500 American soldiers stationed in South Korea.