Ahn Kyu-baek: "The Nightmare of Martial Law Was Just Yesterday... North Korea's Drone Incursion Claim Is Untrue"

Impossible after Martial Law, "Proposal for Inter-Korean Joint Investigation"
Ministry of National Defense: "No Record of Operation", Experts: "Possibility of Commercial Parts"

In response to North Korea's claims of a South Korean drone incursion and its heightened threats, Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek strongly denied the allegations, stating, "It is completely untrue, and the type of drone mentioned is neither operated nor possessed by our military." The Ministry of National Defense also clarified that there was no drone operation on the date specified by North Korea.

On the morning of the 13th, when the first national audit of the Lee Jae-myung administration began, Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek is responding to lawmakers' questions at the 2025 Ministry of National Defense audit held at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. 2025.10.13 Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

On the 10th, Minister Ahn said, "The nightmare of martial law was just yesterday-why would we send a drone now?" He added, "Neither the Drone Operations Command, the Ground Operations Command, nor the Marine Corps Command conducted any flight training on the specified date." He further proposed, "This is a matter that could be resolved through a joint investigation between the two Koreas."

The Ministry of National Defense also released a statement on the same day, saying, "It has been confirmed that our military did not operate any drones on the dates claimed by North Korea." The ministry added, "President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a thorough investigation, and relevant agencies are conducting additional checks on the details."

Previously, North Korea, through a statement by a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, claimed that South Korea had sent drones into the Kaesong and North Hwanghae Province areas in September last year and on the 4th of this month, and that North Korea had forced them to crash using electronic attacks. North Korea asserted that the drones took off during the day from a border area restricted to civilians, passed through South Korean military surveillance, and that "the party behind this is not difficult to guess."

However, analysis showed that the drone photos released by North Korea were clearly different in appearance from the military drone that South Korea had sent into Pyongyang in 2024. Experts believe the released airframe is likely a combination of commercial parts, far from military specifications.

Experts also noted that, in theory, the military could have used expendable drones for deception purposes, but given the drone's specifications, intelligence value, and risk of exposure, the likelihood is considered low.

North Korea has previously claimed drone incursions as well. However, in this case, the South Korean government has clearly denied the allegations and has launched an investigation to verify the facts.