South Korea's military responded to North Korea with warning shots and fighter jets after their drones violated its airspace for the first time in five years.
The Associated PressThe wreckage of a crashed drone from North Korea is seen on Baengnyeong Island, near the border between North and South Korea, in this file photo from March 31, 2014.South Korea's military detected five drones from North Korea crossing the border, and one travelled as far as the northern part of the South Korean capital region, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The military responded by firing warning shots before launching fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the North Korean drones. One of the aircraft, a KA-1 light attack plane, crashed during takeoff but its two pilots both ejected to safety, according to the Defence Ministry.South Korea also sent surveillance assets near and across the border to photograph key military facilities in North Korea as corresponding measures against the North Korean drone flights, the Joint Chiefs said.
South Korea's public confirmation of any reconnaissance activities inside North Korea is highly unusual and likely reflect a resolve by the conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol to get tough on North Korean provocations.It's the first time for North Korean drones to enter South Korean airspace since 2017, when a suspected North Korean drone was found crashed in South Korea. South Korean military officials said at the time that the drone photographed a U.S.
North Korea has previously touted its drone program, and South Korean officials said the North has about 300 drones. In 2014, several suspected North Korean drones were found south of the border. Experts said they were low-tech but could be considered a potential security threat.Last Friday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The launch was seen as a protest of the South Korean-U.S.
This year, North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests in what some experts call an attempt to improve its weapons and pressure rivals to make concessions such as lifting sanctions in future negotiations. Recently, the North also claimed to have performed major tests needed to acquire its first spy satellite and a more mobile intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
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