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In the latest episode of tension on the Korean peninsula, South Korea accuses North Korea of an air raid. Several drones suspected of being North Korean crossed the border and entered South Korean airspace on Monday, December 26, prompting a reaction from Seoul.
With Nicolas Rocca, RFI correspondent in Seoul
five North Korean drones flying over the outskirts of Seoul, one of them even walking through the north of the capital. An apparently surreal scene, but very real according to the South Korean authorities.
On Monday morning, the South Korean military sent warning messages, fired hundreds of shots and deployed fighters and helicopters, but failed to shoot down any of the aircraft. It is unknown if they were equipped with weapons or cameras.
“Our military will continue to respond resolutely to such North Korean provocations,” the Seoul General Staff stressed.
In the incident, one of the aircraft, a KA-1 light fighter, crashed in the Hoengseong area, according to the Yonhap press agency.
Flights suspended at Seoul airport
At the request of the military, flights from the two airports in the South Korean capital were suspended for about an hour. Then Seoul announced that it had retaliated by sending its own drones into North Korea to photograph military installations.
If confirmed, it is the first time since 2017 that North Korean drones have been detected across the border.
North Korea is believed to have around 300 artifacts, quite old, but South Korea still sees it as a threat.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, noted that it is the first time that flights have been suspended in South Korea because of North Korean drones. Although, according to him, their task consisted more of espionage.
“Considering the poor level of development of North Korean drones, there is little chance that they were endowed with the attack capabilities of modern weaponry,” the professor explained.
Dress rehearsal for an invasion
After the two launches of ballistic missiles on Friday, the tension on the peninsula has not abated. Since last spring, North Korea has not stopped firing missiles, while the United States and South Korea have increased their military maneuvers.
Seoul and Washington see them as legitimate defensive drills, but Pyongyang sees them as a dress rehearsal for an invasion.
