On Sunday, the People Power Party criticized President Lee Jae Myung, accusing him of wasting national resources by searching for a potentially non-existent phantom drone and aligning with North Korean claims.
This criticism was aimed at President Lee’s statement that if North Korea’s warning about drone infiltration into South Korea is true, it would constitute a serious crime.
Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo Yoon stated in a commentary that the president should have been more cautious from the beginning. She noted that the military has clearly stated it neither possesses nor operates such drones and that North Korea’s assertions remain unverified and unilateral.
Choi emphasized that repeatedly making statements based on unconfirmed assumptions risks legitimizing North Korea’s unilateral claims, adding that the possibility cannot be ruled out that Pyongyang’s assertions are entirely false.
She went on to say that even if the drone had been civilian-operated, if true, it would expose serious security vulnerabilities stemming from gaps in the military’s surveillance capabilities. Given North Korea’s upcoming ninth party congress, he added that the claim may have been intended to fuel anti-South sentiment and reinforce internal cohesion.
Choi concluded that as public anxiety increases, the government must clearly present the facts surrounding North Korea’s claims and outline its strategy for responding to potential provocations.
On Saturday, North Korea claimed that South Korea had infiltrated drones in September of last year and again on November 4, threatening consequences. The Ministry of National Defense reiterated that it was not a military operation. At the same time, while President Lee stated that if civilians operated the drones, it would be a serious crime threatening peace and national security.
People Power Party Spokesperson Jo Yong Sul said in a commentary that since the start of the year, North Korea has continued what he described as illegal provocations, including the launch of hypersonic missiles. He argued that South Korea’s reciprocal military measures would be justified under international law and diplomatic norms. Still, he criticized the Defense Ministry for repeatedly denying responsibility without clearly establishing the facts, calling the approach overly submissive.
Jo added that the core issue was not the drone itself, but the military’s ability to respond to unexpected incidents in the inter-Korean confrontation. He said the president’s use of the term serious crime undermines the military’s operational authority and amounts to appeasing North Korea.
He emphasized that if South Korea did not infiltrate North Korean airspace, the appropriate government response would be to firmly denounce what he described as North Korea’s false allegations.