A grenade exploded at an Army recruit training center in Daegu on Friday, killing one instructor and injuring two other soldiers.

The incident took place at around 11 a.m. as a 20-year-old trainee, identified only by his surname Sohn, was gearing up to throw a K413 hand grenade right after removing its safety hook.

A 27-year-old sergeant surnamed Kim who was giving guidelines in the same trench was immediately hospitalized to treat shrapnel wounds all over his body but died shortly before 1 p.m., military officials said.

The blast also severed Sohn’s right wrist. He underwent surgery at Kyungpook National University Hospital.

Another 27-year-old sergeant surnamed Park, who was about 1 meter away from the recruit, also suffered minor injuries. 

Some other 200 soldiers were receiving training at the site but no one else was hurt, officials said.

The military has launched an investigation to examine if the detonated device was faulty and how the incident happened, they noted.

The K413 is an upgrade to the Korean-made K400 fragmentation grenade, which went off at a boot camp last September in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, killing three.

The explosion in Daegu is the latest in a string of military accidents involving firearms, land mines and other weapons.

In November 2008, a blast occurred within a guard post in Cheorwon County, Gyeonggi Province, after a private broke the return rule and threw a grenade in a barrack where 16 other servicemen were asleep. The incident wounded five.

In South Korea, all physically able young men are subject to compulsory military service for about two years, after which they are required to receive six rounds of three-day training over a period of eight years.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)