A series of artillery shells, presumed to have been used during the Korean War, were discovered at an elementary school construction site in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province, and have been retrieved by military authorities.
According to military and police authorities on today (September 7), a worker at a construction site in Seo-myeon, Hongcheon-gun, reported finding artillery shells to 112 at around 10:53 AM.
The discovered shells are presumed to be high-explosive shells used by the South Korean military during the Korean War.
Military authorities determined that there was no risk of explosion or suspicion of North Korean infiltration or espionage.
At around 12:20 PM, an explosive ordnance disposal team was dispatched and completed the retrieval of 10 shells.
As shells continued to be discovered, the school administration had all 20 or so students sent home after lunchtime.
Kim Sang-hwan, representative of the Office of Education Parents Association who visited the site, said, "If heavy equipment had accidentally struck a shell during construction, it could have led to a major accident. The swift reporting by the principal and the school, along with the quick response by the military and police, protected the children's safety."
Shells presumed to have been used during the Korean War are still being found in various places across the country.
On August 10 last year, a worker found an artillery shell at an apartment construction site in Maegok-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province.
The shell was handled after safety measures were taken by military authorities, as its fuze had not been removed.
On June 29 last year, a construction official found and reported a rusted unexploded shell at a construction site in Daesong-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.
(Reported by Kim Jiuk, Video by Lee Da-in, Graphics by Yang Hye-min, Produced by SBS Digital News)
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