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Army halts small firearms training after elementary school student wounded by bullet in Daegu

Published: 17 Mar. 2026, 17:22 Updated: 17 Mar. 2026, 18:27

Police officers monitor a street near an elementary school in Daegu on Sept. 12, 2025, in this file photo unrelated to the story. [YONHAP]

The Army has suspended all shooting training involving small firearms after an elementary school student was wounded by a bullet in Daegu while such training was underway at a nearby military range, officials said Tuesday.

The previous day, the student was wounded near the neck at a playground in the southern city of Daegu. The student was sent to a hospital to receive treatment for the nonlife-threatening injury and has been released.

"Shooting training involving small firearms has been suspended across all Army units. We plan to assess when to resume such training after evaluating safety and risks at all firing ranges," an Army official said.

The armed service is conducting an investigation to determine whether the accident was related to the firing training, and will seek to build more indoor firing ranges and vertical backstops in the long term to prevent similar safety accidents.

Yonhap