On the 26th, the South Korean military accused multiple North Korean drones of crossing the border. The South Korean military urgently dispatched fighter planes and attacked the drones to drive them away. However, Korean media pointed out that the South Korean military fired hundreds of rounds but failed to shoot down the North Korean drones. The picture shows North Korean drone data in 2017. (Picture/Internet)
On December 26, the South Korean military stated that multiple drones suspected of belonging to North Korea crossed the border between North Korea and South Korea that morning and even flew close to the capital Seoul. However, there are also reports that at least A drone "flew" over Seoul, forcing South Korea to urgently dispatch fighter jets and attack helicopters to prepare for shooting down. It is not clear whether the South Korean military aircraft carried weapons, but a KA-1 light attack aircraft crashed during its mission. Fortunately, both pilots on board escaped safely.
comprehensive Yonhap News Agency , Reuters reported that an official from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that starting at 10:25 a.m. local time, South Korea began to detect the tracks of several "unidentified objects" in the border area between North and South Korea in Gyeonggi Province, presumably drones. Korean media pointed out that the South Korean military fired hundreds of rounds but failed to shoot down the North Korean drone. In addition, in response to North Korea's drone crossing the border, the South Korean military stated that it was an obvious "provocative" act and had taken corresponding actions, sending the reconnaissance aircraft to North Korea to photograph military facilities.
These drones flew across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) between North and South Korea, and flew over Gimpo, Ganghwa Island, Paju and other border areas, causing passenger planes to be temporarily grounded. In addition, South Korean government sources revealed that many North Korean drones even flew over ordinary residents' houses in Paju and flew close to Seoul. However, South Korea's News1 news agency quoted unnamed military sources as saying that at least one drone "flew" over Seoul.
The South Korean military stated that a total of five North Korean drones crossed the border, with one flying close to Seoul and the other four flying close to the West Coast. After firing warning shots, South Korea sent fighter jets and attack helicopters to take off and shoot down the drones.
The South Korean military immediately dispatched fighter jets, attack helicopters, and other warplanes with the intention of shooting down the UFOs. However, it is not yet clear whether these military aircraft carry weapons. South Korea has also broadcast and fired warnings many times.
Lee Seung-o, an official of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the South Korean military operated to shoot down drones. He did not specify whether any drones were shot down. However, Yonhap News Agency pointed out that the South Korean military fired about 100 rounds in total, but did not shoot down any drones.
In response to North Korean drones crossing the border and violating South Korean airspace, Ri Seung-oh criticized the move as an "obvious act of provocation." In response, South Korea also sent reconnaissance planes across the border to photograph military facilities.
reported that these drones showed various trajectories, including turning around or flying left and right, not just flying south, but returned and disappeared after being detected by the South Korean military.
An anonymous official from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff revealed, "We saw them with the naked eye, and operations against these drones are still in progress." It is believed that the size of the drones intruded is similar to the North Korean drones that crossed the border in 2014.
reported that the South Korean military also dispatched a KA-1 light attack aircraft from Wonju Air Base to support combat missions. However, the light attack aircraft crashed in Hengseong County, Gangwon Province at 11:39 a.m. Fortunately, the two pilots escaped in time. Hengseong County is 140 kilometers east of Seoul. It is still unclear why the attack plane crashed.
It is worth noting that at the request of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea's Gimpo Airport and Incheon Airport suspended the takeoff and landing of passenger planes at 1:8 pm and 1:22 pm respectively. It was not until 2:10 pm that all flights were resumed, and the grounding time was about 1 hour.
reported that North Korea’s drone operations have increasingly become a security concern for South Korea, because these drones may be used to carry out espionage plans and may even carry out attack missions.
The last time a North Korean drone crossed the border was on June 9, 2017. A drone crashed on the border mountain between North and South Korea. It is believed that the drone was originally on a spy mission. It had flown to the THAAD (THAAD) base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province for filming. It crashed due to a malfunction on its way back after completing the filming. In 2014, a North Korean drone was also spotted on South Korea's border islands.
