In a recent development related to the civilian drone incursion into North Korea, a joint military-police task force (TF) has identified a suspect accused of manufacturing and operating the unmanned aerial vehicle. The case has taken an unexpected turn as a graduate student in his 30s, known as Mr. B, claimed in a media interview that it sent the drone. This revelation has brought renewed attention to Mr. B’s past activities.
News1 reported on Monday that the TF, formed on January 12, questioned Mr. A, a man in his 30s believed to have built the drone, on January 16. Coincidentally, on the same day, Mr. B asserted in a Channel A interview that he had launched drones into North Korea on three separate occasions.
Sources indicate that Mr. B and Mr. A are alumni of the same private university in Seoul, with Mr. B being the senior. During their college years, they reportedly established a drone manufacturing company with university backing, where Mr. A served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Mr. B as a director. Both individuals are said to have worked at the presidential office during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration.
Mr. B’s involvement in conservative circles dates back to his college days. He clinched top honors in conservative-sponsored competitions, including the 1st Liberalism Poetry Contest in 2015 and the 1st Republic of Korea Founding President Syngman Rhee Poetry Contest in 2016. His conservative credentials were further bolstered in 2018 when he received the 11th Woo Nam Syngman Rhee Patriot Award from the Korea Love Association, a right-wing organization.
Around 2018, Mr. B headed the Korean University Student Forum (KUSF), a conservative student group. A former Han Daepo member described Mr. B as having extreme views, recalling instances where he would declare that the Juche faction has seized control of South Korea, even to strangers.
KUSF’s activities under Mr. B’s leadership included producing commemorative stamps for President Park Chung-hee’s centennial in 2017. During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the group protested the use of the Korean Peninsula flag by the unified Korean team, launching a Taegukgi Display Campaign. They even presented a South Korean flag to Kim Sung-tae, then-opposition leader of the Liberty Korea Party.
Mr. B’s controversial actions extended beyond his student leadership role. In 2020, he appeared on a YouTube channel hosted by former Yonsei University professor Ryu Seok-chun, known for his contentious statements about comfort women. That same year, Mr. B staged a one-man protest against Professor Yu Hosaka at his own university.
In his January 16 interview with Channel A, Mr. B provided specific dates for his alleged drone launches, claiming three incidents since September of the previous year. Notably, two of these dates align with North Korea’s reported sightings.
Explaining his motives, Mr. B stated that it wanted to measure radiation and heavy metal contamination from the uranium facility in Pyongsan County, North Korea. It believed the intentions justified the flights. It didn’t conduct any surveillance of the military installations.
The joint military-police task force is expected to interrogate Mr. B soon, focusing on his motives and the circumstances surrounding the incident. The TF has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the case’s implications for current laws, the armistice agreement, and inter-Korean relations before determining appropriate actions.
