1 dead, 1 seriously injured in S. Korea's fighter jet crash

SEOUL - One South Korean pilot was killed and another seriously injured in a fighter jet crash that occurred in a southeastern region of South Korea, local media reported Thursday citing military authorities.

The F-15K fighter jet, which took off from a military air base in Daegu city, North Gyeongsang province, at 1:30 pm local time (0430 GMT), crashed in Chilgok county in the province, some 290 km southeast of Seoul, at around 2:38 pm.

One of the two pilots aboard the crashed jet was confirmed dead. The other was in a life-threatening situation.

The combat airplane crashed while returning to the air base after finishing a mission. The aircraft fell down in a mountain of the county.

It marked the first time since June 2006 that the F-15K fighter jet, a major South Korean combat airplane, crashed. The South Korean military is reportedly operating some 60 F-15K combat planes.

The latest fighter jet crash took place in March 30, 2016 when a F-16D fighter jet crashed in the northeastern area.