President Lee Jae Myung has ordered the formation of a joint military-police investigation team to conduct a swift and thorough probe into the possibility that civilians operated drones that infiltrated North Korea.
The Blue House stated in an official release that if civilians indeed operated these drones, it would constitute a serious offense threatening peace on the Korean Peninsula and national security.
In response to North Korea’s claim of a South Korean drone incursion, the Blue House convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting chaired by the Deputy National Security Advisor.
Earlier, North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun published a statement from the Korean People’s Army General Staff. The statement warned that South Korea must be prepared to face consequences for repeatedly violating North Korean sovereignty with drone incursions.
The spokesperson alleged that on January 4, the border air defense units detected and tracked aerial targets moving north over Hado-ri in Ganghwa County, Incheon. After the target tactically infiltrated 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) into the airspace, it engaged it with specialized electronic warfare assets, forcing it to crash 1,200 meters (about 3,937 feet) from Hill 101.5 in the Kaesong area.
The South Korean Ministry of Defense refuted North Korea’s claims of drone infiltration. In an official statement, the Ministry asserted that there is no evidence to support North Korea’s allegations, confirming that no South Korean military drones were operating on the date in question.
President Lee has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the matter, with relevant agencies currently verifying the details. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also confirmed that the alleged drone does not match any models in the South Korean military’s inventory.