Military sources have revealed that the Army Aviation Command of South Korea carried out multiple provocative flights using armed Apache helicopters near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea prior to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis.
According to Representative Choo Mi Ae’s office on Wednesday, a South Korean Army Aviation Command official testified that armed Apache helicopters were deployed to fly along the NLL approximately 7 to 8 times last year.
The Apache 901st and 902nd under the Aviation Command conducted these NLL provocative flights and inland guard post reconnaissance missions. Unusually, the helicopters were armed with 30mm live ammunition and Hellfire missiles.
While the standard protocol for approaching Baengnyeongdo Island involves following an L-shaped flight path at a safe distance from North Korea, last year’s operations reportedly brought the helicopters within 1.24-1.86 miles of North Korean bases along the NLL. Pilots reported being able to visually identify North Korean fishing vessels.
These flights were executed under direct orders from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, with most operational details shared internally via secure messaging platforms such as Telegram. The Aviation Command reportedly emphasized the need to distribute mission briefings in writing and then immediately destroy them.
In a departure from typical training procedures, the operations even utilized ammunition reserves normally set aside for wartime contingencies.
A source stated that there was speculation among pilots that these missions might be attempts to manufacture tensions with North Korea in order to boost falling approval ratings. Some wondered if the intent was to create a pretext for further action in the event of a shootdown or crash.
Notably, notebooks belonging to former South Korean military intelligence commander Roh Sangwon, who faces charges of insurrection, reportedly contained plans for creating tensions with North Korea designed to provoke North Korean attacks near the NLL.
The special prosecution team investigating allegations of insurrection and treason related to the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis suspects that former President Yoon Suk Yeol may have planned operations, including drone incursions into Pyongyang, to justify declaring a state of emergency.