A man in his 30s who claimed to have flown drones into North Korea has garnered attention for establishing a drone startup shortly after the creation of the military’s Drone Operations Command. The startup reportedly received funding through the the Korea Defense Intelligence Command (KDIC), raising questions about potential connections between the company and military authorities.
According to police on Wednesday, a joint military-police investigation task force (TF) is investigating three individuals, including the man identified as Mr. Oh, on suspicion of violating the Aviation Safety Act and other charges.
The three suspects under investigation are: △ Mr. Oh, a graduate student in his 30s who claimed to have sent drones to North Korea △ Mr. Jang, Oh’s senior colleague who co-founded drone startup Company A △ Mr. Kim, who served as a director at Company A.
The trio established Company A on September 22, 2023, just three weeks after the Drone Operations Command was launched on September 1. The command was created as part of a response strategy directed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol following North Korea’s drone incursions in 2022.
The Drone Operations Command is the military’s first joint combat unit focused on drone operations against North Korea, overseeing unmanned aerial vehicles similar to those in which Company A specializes.
According to corporate registration documents, Company A’s objectives include:
△ design and manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles, and unmanned surface vessels △ sales of these unmanned systems △ consulting services for unmanned product and drone development.
Suspicions of government connections have intensified due to the similar timing and purpose of the Drone Operations Command and Company A’s establishment, as well as the revelation that two suspects previously worked in President Yoon’s administration. Oh reportedly worked as a contract employee in the presidential spokesperson’s office, while Jang served as a news monitoring agent.
Rep. Park Sun-won, a Democratic Party member of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, has raised concerns about potential collaboration between the suspects and the KDIC.
Park alleged that two online news outlets (NK Monitor and Global Insight) operated by Jang received funding from the Defense Intelligence Command.
During a January 19 appearance on YTN Radio, Park stated that it’s true that they worked with the Defense Intelligence Command. Their experience working in both the presidential office and far-right organizations seems to align perfectly. He added, that they set up one company to produce drones and two online news outlets. What’s certain is that the two news sites they established received funding from the KDIC.
These connections have led to speculation that the military may have supported the startup and online media operations in collaboration with the civilian suspects to facilitate drone missions.
Some suggest the drones they produced were intended to be used as decoys.
Park argued, that it would be beneficial for the Drone Operations Command to disperse drone launches across different areas before and after operations. If they provided such operational support, it would be a major issue – and it’s not entirely implausible.
As suspicions mount, the TF is intensifying its investigation. On Wednesday, the TF conducted searches of the suspects’ residences and offices, citing violations of the Aviation Safety Act and other charges.
A TF spokesperson stated that it plans to thoroughly investigate all possibilities through analysis of seized evidence and suspect interrogations.