Our military said North Korea's claim that Korea sent an unmanned aerial vehicle north "is not true." President Lee Jae-myung ordered an investigation into North Korea's claim of a drone incursion.
The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on the 10th, saying, "It is being confirmed that our military did not operate drones on the date North Korea claims," and added, "President Lee Jae-myung ordered a thorough investigation into this matter, and the details are being further checked by the relevant agencies."
Minister Ahn Gyu-baek also refuted North Korea's claim of a drone incursion. According to Yonhap News Agency, Ahn said of the drone photos North Korea released while claiming a shootdown, "It is not a model our military possesses."
Ahn said, "On that day, the Drone Operations Command, the Ground Operations Command, and the Marine Corps Command did not conduct flight training," adding, "Wouldn't it be fine for the two Koreas to conduct a joint investigation?"
On the same day, a Spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army claimed in a statement that Korea sent drones in Sept. last year and on the 4th. The party organ Rodong Sinmun also carried images of the drones and the footage they shot.
The Spokesperson said, "The video materials are clear evidence that the drones intruded into the republic's airspace for the purpose of surveillance and reconnaissance of our area," adding, "Even after the change of the hoodlum regime in Seoul, South Korea's drone provocations near the border continued."
Earlier, in Oct. 2024 during the Yoon Suk-yeol government, North Korea also announced that Korea sent drones into Pyongyang and scattered anti-North leaflets. However, the drone North Korea released this time is different in shape from the 2024 drone.