North Korea recently requested the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to conduct a fact-finding investigation, claiming that South Korea sent a drone to Pyongyang last October. In response, South Korea stated that it "opposes politicizing the ICAO without presenting clear evidence."
Photos North Korea claimed to have found debris of a South Korean drone in Pyongyang last October. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 11th, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told reporters, "North Korea must first stop GPS jamming, which violates international norms and poses a serious threat to the safety of civil aviation for us and the international community," expressing this position.
According to government sources, North Korea recently requested ICAO to investigate the drone intrusion incident in Pyongyang, targeting South Korea. ICAO, established under the Chicago Convention (Convention on International Civil Aviation), is a UN-affiliated organization of which both South Korea and North Korea are members. According to ICAO regulations and practices, the council is known to discuss any issues raised by contracting states (countries that have signed the treaty).
The drone in question was discovered in Pyongyang last October. After the emergency martial law situation on December 3 last year, suspicions arose that the incident was a deliberate act to justify the declaration of martial law. However, this has not been confirmed.
In a similar case, North Korea sent a drone to South Korea in 2022. At that time, the South Korean government conducted a multifaceted review from international law and diplomatic perspectives and decided not to proceed with discussions at ICAO. However, it defined North Korea’s illegal airspace intrusion by the drone as a "clear provocative act" and took corresponding measures.
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