Investigators yesterday raided South Korea’s spy agency, as they probed possible government links to a drone incursion over the North Korean border.
Pyongyang said it shot down a surveillance drone near the industrial hub of Kaesong last month, accusing Seoul of dispatching the aircraft to glean intelligence on “important targets.”
Seoul initially denied any official involvement, with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung saying such an act would amount to “firing a shot into the North.”
Photo: KCNA via AFP
A joint military-police task force yesterday said it was investigating three active-duty soldiers and one spy agency staffer in an effort to “thoroughly establish the truth.”
Investigators raided 18 locations of interest, including the Defense Intelligence Command and the National Intelligence Service.
The North Korean military downed a drone carrying “surveillance equipment” early last month, according to a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Photos showed the wreckage of a winged craft scattered across the ground next to a collection of gray and blue components that allegedly included cameras.
The drone had stored footage of “important targets,” including border areas, a military spokesman said in the statement.
Lee has taken a softer approach to North Korea than his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, who was accused of using uncrewed drones to scatter propaganda leaflets over North Korea in 2024.
He has vowed to mend ties with North Korea by stamping out provocations, and has even suggested a rare apology may be warranted.
“I feel I should apologize, but I hesitate to say it out loud,” he said in December.
“I worry that if I do, it could be used as fodder for ideological battles or accusations of being pro-North,” he added.
South Korean Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young has suggested that last month’s drone incursion might have involved government officials still loyal to Yoon.
Three civilians have already been charged for their alleged role in the drone scandal.
One of them has publicly claimed responsibility, saying he acted to detect radiation levels from North Korea’s Pyongsan uranium processing facility.
Yoon is standing trial on charges he illegally sent drones into North Korea to help create the pretext for declaring martial law in late 2024.
Prosecutors have accused Yoon of instructing Seoul’s military to fly drones over Pyongyang and distribute anti-North leaflets in an attempt to provoke a response.
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