Possibility of North Korean Incursion by Civilian Drone... President Lee Orders "Thorough Investigation"

Joint Military-Police Investigation Launched,
Inter-Korean Joint Probe Also Discussed

Following President Lee Jaemyung's direct call for a "thorough investigation" regarding North Korea's claim of a drone incursion, the Ministry of National Defense and other relevant ministries have released initial investigation results and launched a joint military-police probe. Within the government and the ruling party, some have raised the possibility of a joint inter-Korean investigation to prevent recurrence.

According to the Office of the President on January 13, meetings were held for two consecutive days over the past weekend to determine the circumstances surrounding North Korea's drone incursion claim. On January 10, a National Security Council (NSC) meeting was presided over by Kim Hyunjong, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office. The outcome of this meeting was that the South Korean military did not operate any drones on the dates mentioned by North Korea. On January 11, the National Security Office convened officials from the Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the police to discuss countermeasures. The National Security Office stated, "The government once again confirms that it has no intention to provoke or incite the North."

Yonhap News Agency

Earlier, a spokesperson for the General Staff Department of the North Korean military claimed that South Korea had sent drones across the border in September last year and on the 4th of this month, and that these drones were shot down. According to photos released by North Korea, the drone in question closely resembles the "Skywalker Titan 2160," a civilian drone model produced by China's Skywalker Technology. This drone is sold online for between 150 and 600 dollars (approximately 210,000 to 870,000 Korean won), depending on its specifications.

Kim Hongcheol, Director of Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, stated, "Our military does not possess such drones, nor did we operate any drones during the timeframes announced by North Korea." Experts note that, given the South Korean military's ample surveillance assets for monitoring the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and frontline areas, there would be no reason to conduct reconnaissance using a civilian-grade drone.

The Office of the President is leaving open the possibility that the drone in question may have been operated by civilians. On January 10, President Lee stated, "If true, this constitutes a serious crime that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and national security," and ordered a strict investigation through a joint military-police task force. The National Security Office added, "The government will continue to take practical measures and make efforts to ease tensions and build trust between the two Koreas."

Meanwhile, some within the government and the ruling party are discussing the possibility of a joint inter-Korean investigation. Park Jie-won, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea and former Director of the National Intelligence Service, said, "It is necessary for both Koreas to conduct a joint investigation for the sake of peace, and this could provide a natural opportunity for inter-Korean contact."

However, it remains uncertain whether North Korea, which has even severed communication lines with the South, will respond to such a proposal. Hong Min, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, analyzed, "North Korea, which seeks to institutionalize an adversarial inter-state relationship, may be concerned that participating in a joint investigation could mean reverting to the previous approach of defining inter-Korean relations as a special relationship."