NIS: "We Have Never Clearly Shot Down North Korean Trash Balloons"

Some Media Raise Suspicions of 'Drone Shootdown Operation'
Military Authorities Also Deny... "Area Where Balloons Don't Even Come"

About a month before the declaration of martial law, there were claims that intelligence authorities shot down North Korean filth balloons near Baengnyeongdo in the West Sea, but the National Intelligence Service (NIS) denied this as a clear error. There have been suspicions that discussions took place about shooting down or striking filth balloons to provoke North Korean provocations ahead of the martial law declaration.

Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, is drinking water while attending the National Assembly Intelligence Committee's audit of the National Intelligence Service held at the National Intelligence Service in Naegok-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 29th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The NIS stated, "Reports in the media claiming that filth balloons released by North Korea were shot down multiple times near Baengnyeongdo are clearly false reports," adding, "The NIS has never shot down North Korean filth balloons, nor has it ever received cooperation from the Army Special Warfare Command's 707 Special Mission Group in this regard." Previously, a media outlet claimed that since late October, the NIS, with the cooperation of the 707 Special Mission Group, had shot down filth balloons around Baengnyeongdo several times using 'racing drones."

In particular, the person who proposed the filth balloon shootdown operation was identified as Hong Jang-won, former 1st Deputy Director of the NIS. Hong previously revealed that immediately after the martial law declaration, President Yoon Seok-yeol ordered the arrest of politicians and others. The report also included that Hwang Won-jin, 2nd Deputy Director of the NIS, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed the balloon shootdown, but the operation was carried out, and later, when NIS Director Cho Tae-yong reported the operation details to President Yoon, he praised it highly.

The military authorities also denied these claims. Lee Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a regular briefing that morning, "Filth and garbage balloons rarely come to Baengnyeongdo," and rebutted, "Why would we conduct such training in a place where they hardly ever come?" He added, "The 707 Special Mission Group is not a unit that conducts operations or training with drones."