North Korea on Saturday accused South Korea of sending another drone into its airspace for surveillance purposes, a claim Seoul has firmly denied, escalating tensions on the heavily militarized peninsula.
The North Korean military said it tracked a drone “moving northwards” over Ganghwa County, a South Korean border area northwest of Seoul, in early January. The drone was reportedly shot down near the North Korean city of Kaesong, according to a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“Surveillance equipment was installed on the drone,” the North Korean military spokesperson said. “Analysis of the wreckage revealed that it had stored footage of our ‘important targets,’ including border facilities and sensitive locations.”
South Korea, however, rejected the claim. Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told reporters that Seoul had no record of the flight and that the drone identified by Pyongyang “was not a model operated by our military.” The South Korean defence ministry said President Lee Jae Myung had ordered a full investigation into the incident.
Ganghwa County, where the drone was initially spotted, is among the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, making it a sensitive area for military monitoring. The North’s statement characterized the drone’s flight as “clear evidence” of an incursion into its airspace for reconnaissance purposes.
Pyongyang also drew parallels to a similar incident in September when drones were reportedly flown near Paju, a North Korean border city, which the North alleged were operated by Seoul. “Seoul would be forced to pay a dear price for their unpardonable hysteria” if such incursions continued, the North Korean military spokesperson warned.
South Korea is already under scrutiny over alleged drone flights over the North in late 2024, ordered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Seoul’s military has yet to confirm those flights. Prosecutors have since indicted Yoon on charges that he acted illegally, allegedly attempting to provoke Pyongyang and use the incidents as a pretext to impose martial law during his short-lived tenure.
According to KCNA, flight-path data indicated that the latest drone was flying in square patterns over Kaesong before it was shot down. However, experts questioned whether the drone could have originated from Seoul’s armed forces.
“The South Korean military already has drones capable of transmitting high-resolution live feeds,” said Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “Using an outdated, commercially available drone that requires physical retrieval of a memory card, simply to film factory rooftops already visible on satellite imagery, does not make sense from a military planning perspective.”
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Drone intrusions have become a recurring point of contention, with both sides accusing each other of provocative reconnaissance.
While North Korea has repeatedly warned of military retaliation against perceived incursions, Seoul maintains that it operates within international norms and emphasizes defensive measures along the border. Analysts say that such incidents, even when involving low-cost or commercially available drones, can inflame mistrust and heighten the risk of miscalculation in the region.
As both sides investigate the latest episode, attention will focus on whether North Korea interprets the flight as a deliberate provocation or as an isolated, possibly civilian, drone incident. President Lee’s administration faces the delicate task of managing border security without escalating tensions further, amid a volatile geopolitical landscape in Northeast Asia
