North Korean drone reaches north of Seoul
Officials from South Korea claim that North Korea has flown drones across their shared border.
According to the joint chiefs, the “unmanned aerial vehicle” infringed South Korean airspace near Gyeonggi Province.
One of the drones flew northward to Seoul.
South Korea’s military claimed it had fired warning shots, before sending up fighter jets and helicopters in order to shoot them down.
The drones were not being brought down, so the effort to do so was still going on, it said.
This incursion occurs amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with the North performing record numbers of missile tests.
At around 10:30 GMT (01:30 GMT), the drones were seen crossing the border.
One of the South Korean warplanes, a KA-1 Light Attack Aircraft, was later damaged in an accident. However, its two pilots escaped injury.
According to Yonhap’s quotes from the air force, the plane crashed to the ground in Hoengseong county, east Seoul, just minutes after taking-off from Wonju air base.
South Korea suspended flights taking off and landing at its Incheon or Gimpo airports, for approximately an hour.
According to a South Korean military official, the latest incursion was clearly a provocation from Pyongyang.
The military stated that “our military will continue to respond thoroughly to North Korea’s provocations.”
Five years ago, a North Korean drone crossed over the border. This was in June 2017, when tensions between Koreas were at their lowest.
North Korea’s drones are a threat to South Korea’s security, as they could be used to spy and launch attacks on the South.
The North claimed that it had performed significant tests earlier in the month to help develop its first spy spacecraft, which could be used for monitoring South Korea. The North released an aerial photograph of Seoul that it claimed was taken during the test.
Experts believe South Korea is working hard to improve its weapons and put pressure on the United States for more sanctions relief in future negotiations.