A North Korean flag flaps in the wind atop a 160-meter tower in the North Korean town of Gijungdongseen on April 27, 2018, as seen from the Taesungdong freedom village within the demilitarized zone of Paju, South Korea. Lee Jin-man / AP
Located in Seoul, South Korea — Monday, after North Korean drones entered South Korea’s airspace for the first time in five years, the South Korean military fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets, and flew surveillance assets across the heavily guarded border with North Korea.
The South Korean military spotted five North Korean drones crossing the border, with one reaching as far as the northern portion of the capital district, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The military replied with warning shots and the launch of fighter jets and attack helicopters to destroy the North Korean drones. The assault helicopters fired a total of 100 rounds, but it was unclear whether the North Korean drones were destroyed. According to the Defense Ministry, there were no early reports of civilian damage on the ground in South Korea.
Light attack aircraft KA-1 crashed before takeoff, but both pilots bailed safely, according to defense officials. They also recommended that civilian airports in and around Seoul temporarily suspend takeoffs.
According to the Joint Chiefs, South Korea also dispatched surveillance assets close and across the border to photograph critical military locations in North Korea in response to the North Korean drone flights. Some experts assert that South Korea undoubtedly flew unmanned drones within North Korean territory, although it did not provide specifics.
Maj. Gen. Lee Seung-o, director of operations for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters, “Our military will respond comprehensively and strongly to this type of North Korean provocation.”
South Korea’s public confirmation of surveillance operations within North Korea is exceedingly unusual and presumably shows the conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s determination to take North Korea’s provocations seriously. Observers argue that North Korea could retaliate with more inflammatory language, missile tests, or other provocations.
On Friday, South Korea detected two short-range ballistic missile launches by North Korea, the most recent in a flurry of weapons tests conducted by the communist nation this year. The launches on Friday were interpreted as a protest against the combined South Korean-U.S. air exercises, which North Korea perceives as an invasion rehearsal.
It is the first time since 2017 that North Korean drones have entered South Korean airspace, when a suspected North Korean drone was found crashed in South Korea. At the time, South Korean military officials claimed that a drone equipped with a camera manufactured by Sony had captured a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.
North Korea has previously boasted about its drone program, and according to South Korean officials, it has over 300 drones. Several alleged North Korean drones with Japanese-made cameras were discovered south of the border in 2014. They were low-tech, but experts claimed they posed a possible security risk.
North Korea said earlier this month that it had conducted the tests necessary to acquire its first spy satellite and an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Multi-warhead nuclear missiles, submarine-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-powered submarines, and hypersonic missiles were among the high-tech military systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to introduce.
North Korea revealed low-resolution photographs of South Korean cities as seen from orbit, but specialists in South Korea deemed the images unsuitable for surveillance. Such appraisals incensed North Korea, and Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, retaliated by insulting unnamed South Korean specialists with a series of disparaging insults.
This week, the governing Workers’ Party of North Korea will host an important summit to assess previous actions and establish future objectives. During the meeting, North Korea will likely reaffirm its commitment to bolstering its nuclear and missile arsenals in response to what it views as hostile U.S. policies, such as U.S.-led international sanctions and its regular military exercises with South Korea, according to some experts.
Analysts predict that North Korea will eventually use its enhanced nuclear capabilities as leverage to secure world recognition as a legitimate nuclear state, the easing of international sanctions, and other concessions.
»South Korea scrambles jets and fires warning shots in response to North Korean drone flights«