South Korea denounces North Korean drones entering its airspace

26 (EUROPA PRESS)

The South Korean authorities have denounced this Monday that several North Korean drones have crossed the border and have deployed planes and helicopters to proceed with their demolition, the first incident of this type since 2017.

Sources from the South Korean Army General Staff have indicated that Seoul detected multiple “unidentified objects” in areas of Gyeonggi province around 10:25 am (local time) and added that the devices crossed the Military Demarcation Line.

Thus, it has highlighted that they have been located in Gimpo, Ganghwa and Paju, causing a temporary suspension of civilian flights during military operations to shoot them down, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. At the moment it is unknown if the drones carried explosives.

These sources have highlighted that Seoul has proceeded to issue warning shots and has sent planes and helicopters to the area. As part of Seoul’s response, a KA-1 plane crashed in Hoengseong county, 140 kilometers east of the capital, although the two pilots managed to eject and were unharmed.

“We have identified them with our own eyes,” these sources have stressed, who have emphasized that “the operation is still underway against the devices.” North Korea has not yet commented on the incident.

The event is the first of its kind since 2017, although between 2014 and 2017 Seoul denounced numerous drone overflight operations by North Korea and warned of the military threat posed by these devices, both to carry out attacks and in operations of espionage.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula after Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile fire, including two short-range missiles launched earlier in the day on Friday.

The US and South Korean authorities agreed last week to conduct “realistic” joint military exercises, especially in the face of missile or nuclear attack scenarios by North Korea. The South Korean Ministry of Defense stressed that the parties also plan to expand their joint exercises for next year after a meeting between senior defense officials from both countries.