Two websites run by a graduate student who claimed to have sent drones into North Korea have been shut down.
News1 reported on Tuesday that the online media outlets NK Monitor and Global Insight ceased operations around 10:00 a.m. Visitors to these sites now see a temporarily suspended message.
The outlets, registered last April by a graduate student in his 30s identified only as Oh, focused on North Korean news and international affairs.
This shutdown comes just one day after allegations emerged that an agent from the Defense Intelligence Command provided funding for the media outlets’ establishment. Analysts suggest this could be a preemptive move ahead of a potential investigation.
Democratic Party Rep. Park Sun-won, a member of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, stated on YTN Radio that these online news outlets are undoubtedly front companies for military operations.
Rep. Park also noted that the timing of Oh’s drone manufacturing company creation in September 2023 aligns with the formation of the military’s Drone Operations Command.
He argued that they intentionally sent detectable drones to create confusion and protect Yoon Suk Yeol, suggesting similar incidents occurred during Lee Jae Myung’s time.
On January 16, the joint military-police investigation task force, formed on January 12, questioned a civilian man in his 30s, known as A, who allegedly manufactured the drones.
Oh, a senior to A at a private Seoul university, claimed in a Channel A interview on January 16 that he launched drones into North Korea three times.
Oh stated his objective was to measure radiation and heavy metal contamination at a uranium facility in North Korea’s Pyongsan County.
Rep. Park dismissed Oh’s claims, stating that the drones he sent were cheap, 500,000 KRW (about 340 USD) models available online, incapable of carrying scientific detection equipment. It’s completely implausible.
The joint task force will investigate whether the Defense Intelligence Command managed Oh as a human intelligence asset and examine the motives and circumstances behind the drone flights.