North Korea accused South Korea on Saturday of flying another spy drone across its border earlier this month, while Seoul immediately denied the allegation as baseless and inaccurate. Pyongyang’s military claimed it tracked the aircraft entering from Ganghwa County before shooting it down near Kaesong, with state media KCNA releasing photos showing drone wreckage with cameras they alleged captured sensitive border footage.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back firmly stated the pictured drone “was not a model operated by our military.” South Korean authorities confirmed no record of such a flight occurred. President Lee Jae Myung’s office convened an emergency national security meeting to address the escalating situation. Ganghwa County sits dangerously close to the volatile North Korean frontier northwest of Seoul.
Escalating Tensions
Pyongyang released grainy aerial images of Kaesong it insists the drone captured. A military spokesperson called these “clear evidence” of deliberate espionage, comparing it to alleged September drone flights near Paju. They warned Seoul would “pay a dear price for their unpardonable hysteria” if such violations continued. This follows South Korea’s ongoing investigation into late-2024 drone flights ordered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Prosecutors indicted Yoon for allegedly provoking Pyongyang to justify his failed martial law attempt.
However, analysts strongly doubt Seoul’s involvement this time, as expert Hong Min noted the cheap, outdated drone model required retrieving memory cards, unlike South Korea’s advanced military drones. “Using such equipment to film factory rooftops visible on satellites makes no military sense,” he argued. Flight data showed the drone flying square patterns over Kaesong before its destruction. North Korea’s repeated accusations deepen mistrust while experts question the regime’s narrative credibility.
