Did They Attempt to Destroy Evidence of the Pyongyang Drone Incident?

Drone Command "Cannot Confirm Infiltration into Pyongyang"

On the 8th, five days after the 12·3 emergency martial law incident, a fire broke out in a warehouse of the Drone Operations Command, which oversees domestic drone operations, resulting in some equipment being burned. The opposition party raised suspicions on October 10th that the Ministry of National Defense might have attempted to destroy evidence related to the North Korean Pyongyang drone incident. The Drone Operations Command is a direct operational command under the Ministry of National Defense, established last year to oversee unmanned aerial vehicle operations.

Yonhap News

On the morning of the 10th, at an emergency inquiry session of the National Defense Committee held at the National Assembly, Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked Kim Yong-dae, the commander of the Drone Operations Command, "Was there a fire in one of the containers this weekend? What kind of equipment was inside?" Commander Kim replied, "Yes, there was a fire," and added, "The fire affected drones and auxiliary equipment such as launchers that we have." When Kim asked, "Who instructed you to launch drones infiltrating Pyongyang, North Korea?" Commander Kim responded, "I cannot confirm that matter."

On the 9th, Democratic Party member Bu Seung-chan also stated at the National Defense Committee, "There were actions that provoked North Korea for the emergency martial law," adding, "There was a specific report that the National Intelligence Service used drones from the Drone Operations Command to fly them as far as Baengnyeongdo, planned by the Defense Counterintelligence Command, with operational personnel from the Drone Operations Command accompanying."

Earlier, on October 11th, the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a serious statement claiming, "South Korea committed a heinous act by sending drones over Jung-gu District in Pyongyang during late-night hours on October 3rd, 9th, and 10th, dropping numerous anti-republic political propaganda leaflets."

Meanwhile, the Drone Operations Command stated on the same day, "An unexplained fire accident occurred in a container deployed at a subordinate unit," adding, "Some drone auxiliary materials were damaged by the fire, but there were no drone bodies inside the container at the time."