When North Korea alleged that a South Korean drone had violated its airspace, our military took the unusual step of immediately refuting the claim. The military made it clear that no drone operations were conducted on the date specified by North Korea, and that the aircraft revealed by North Korea differs from the models used by the South Korean forces. Experts also pointed out that the drone in question appears to be a commercially available product.
On January 10, the Ministry of National Defense issued a statement regarding North Korea’s drone incursion claim, asserting that South Korea’s military has confirmed that no drones were operated on the date claimed by North Korea. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back also emphasized that the drone revealed by North Korea is not a model in the military’s inventory.
President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough investigation into North Korea’s drone incursion claim, with relevant agencies currently verifying the details. The Blue House will convene a working-level coordination meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by the first deputy director of the National Security Office.
North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, published a statement from the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army titled that South Korea must be prepared to face consequences for once again violating the sovereignty with drones.
North Korea claimed that a South Korean drone, which allegedly took off from Incheon and flew over Kaesong and North Hwanghae Province, was shot down. They released photos of the aircraft and its purported flight path, asserting that the drone was on a surveillance and reconnaissance mission.
However, the South Korean military explained that on the day specified by North Korea, there were no drone training exercises or operations conducted by any of its command centers, including the Drone Operations Command, Ground Operations Command, or Marine Corps Command. The drone revealed by North Korea on that day shows significant differences in appearance and configuration from the drones that the military deployed to Pyongyang during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in 2024.
Available for Purchase on AliExpress for Around 30,000 KRW… Parts Also Suitable for Hobbyists
Experts believe that the drone depicted in the photos released by North Korea is more likely a civilian product than a military-grade unmanned aerial vehicle.
Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defense Security Forum, analyzed that it appears to be a model that anyone can easily purchase and assemble online, stating that it looks like they’ve constructed several identical drones using commercially available components.
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, noted that in terms of appearance, it matches the Skywalker Titan model manufactured by China’s Skywalker Technology, adding that this model is marketed for drone enthusiasts and commercial industrial applications, and is classified as a toy or agricultural surveying product, which exempts it from military export controls.
Hong further stated that it can be purchased it on AliExpress for about 300,000 to 600,000 KRW (about 204 to 409 USD), and even if you configure the parts for a flight range of 160 km (about 99.4 miles) and global positioning system (GPS) autopilot capabilities, the total material cost would be around 1.2 million to 1.5 million KRW (about 818 to 1,023 USD).
The individual components that appear to have been used in the drone North Korea revealed are also far from military-grade.
The flight control computer was identified as a universal product called Pixhawk, commonly used by drone hobbyists, and the communication receiver appears to be a low-cost commercial part from China that does not meet military anti-jamming standards. The camera is a small wide-angle camera primarily used for hobby photography, which differs from high-altitude reconnaissance purposes. The storage medium was also a standard consumer-grade microSD card.
The Footage has No Military Value
Experts assessed that the informational value of the footage released by North Korea is negligible for South Korean military intelligence. The video includes areas around Pyongsan in North Hwanghae Province, as well as near the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Kaesong Station. These areas are already well-monitored by South Korean forces through commercial satellite imagery and existing surveillance assets.
Hong noted that the South Korean military already possesses several advanced assets capable of monitoring areas near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and the Kaesong region with extreme precision, adding that there’s no new intelligence value worth the risk of being shot down and violating the armistice agreement by sending a low-cost drone.
The political and situational context is also cited as a reason for the military’s immediate denial. The current government and ruling party have previously raised suspicions that the drone incursions during the Yoon administration were aimed at attracting foreign investment, so claiming that the military conducted a similar operation now would contradict their policy stance.
In fact, the government has recently adopted a relatively cautious and conciliatory approach in managing relations with North Korea, leading to assessments that there is little incentive to provoke unnecessary military tensions.
For these reasons, analysts interpret that the military’s immediate denial, rather than a vague stance that it cannot confirm, marks a departure from past practices. Previously, North Korea claimed that during the Yoon administration in October 2024, South Korea sent a drone to invade the airspace over Pyongyang to distribute anti-North Korean leaflets, and at that time, the military refrained from making a clear statement.
