North Korea drone flies in South Korea’s unmanned zone
2023.01.05 08:49
North Korea drone flies in South Korea’s unmanned zone
Budrigannews.com – Seoul’s military said on Thursday that a North Korean drone briefly entered a no-fly zone surrounding the presidential office last week, which fueled criticism of the South’s air defenses.
On December 26, five North Korean drones entered South Korea, triggering the mobilization of fighter jets and helicopters by the South Korean military. The failure of the military to bring down the drones, which hovered over the South for hours, was criticized.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea initially denied that one of the drones entered a no-fly zone near President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Seoul office; however, on Thursday, they confirmed that it entered the northern portion of the zone.
Following an examination of the military’s readiness posture in relation to the most recent intrusion, a spokesperson for the JCS stated that its analysis had changed.
According to the JCS, the North’s unmanned aircraft did not fly directly over Yoon’s office in the Yongsan region.
According to Yoo Sang-bum, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, intelligence officials stated that it was impossible to rule out the possibility of the drone taking pictures of the presidential compound, which also houses the JCS headquarters.
Yoo stated that North Korea has approximately 500 unmanned aerial vehicles of 20 distinct types, the majority of which range in size from 40 to 236 inches (one meter to six meters), and a small number of self-destructing attacker devices.
After receiving a briefing from the spy agency, Yoo stated, “A movement of developing medium- and large-sized drones for long-distance reconnaissance has been detected, but it appears to be at an early stage, and securing technologies such as high-performance detection sensors would be key.”
At a time when the North’s nuclear and missile threats are growing, South Korea’s air defenses have come under fire at the border crossing.
To enhance its surveillance and reconnaissance system, particularly against smaller drones, the defense ministry has pledged to establish a new drone unit.
It also announced plans to spend 441 million won ($560 million) over the next five years to improve its anti-drone capabilities, including the creation of signal jammers and airborne laser weapons.
Yoon has stated that if the North violates its airspace once more, he may suspend a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.
North Korea, a reclusive nation, has pursued nuclear and missile programs in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Because their conflict between 1950 and 1953 ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, North Korea and South Korea are technically still at war.
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