UAV violation of Pyongyang airspace fuels inter-Korean tensions

Allegations of UAV violating airspace

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), South Korean unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) entered the airspace of the capital Pyongyang to drop leaflets criticizing leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea's foreign ministry said South Korean drones carrying propaganda materials were detected at night in the capital Pyongyang for the third time this month.

KCNA reported that the leaflets were filled with “seditious rumors and rubbish.” The North Korean Foreign Ministry warned that any violation of Pyongyang’s airspace “could be regarded as a military attack.”

It is unclear what type of UAV was used to drop the leaflets.

South Korea's defense minister initially denied Pyongyang's accusations, but South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) later said they "cannot confirm whether North Korea's allegations are accurate or not."

The only image believed to be of one of the drones, broadcast on North Korean state television at the weekend, showed a white winged object against a dark sky.

Unprecedented event

This is the first time North Korea has accused its neighbor of using UAVs to drop leaflets criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In recent months, South Korea has accused North Korea of ​​launching thousands of balloons carrying bags filled with trash across the border into the South.

South Korea has also accused North Korea of ​​operating drones in its airspace in recent years. In December 2022, South Korea scrambled helicopters after detecting five suspected North Korean drones over the Seoul area. The South Korean military fired warning shots and about 100 rounds from helicopters armed with handguns, but failed to shoot down any of the drones. The incident prompted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to accelerate the development of drones capable of spying on North Korean military facilities.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also shown interest in developing domestically-made UAVs, announcing in 2021 that he would oversee the production of more sophisticated machines with longer ranges.

Fanning escalating tensions

Allegations of drone intrusions have fueled tensions between North and South Korea, reflecting a deterioration in inter-Korean relations in recent months.

North Korea said its frontline military units were ready to strike targets in South Korea if more drones were detected.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the afternoon of October 13, the North Korean Ministry of National Defense ordered eight artillery brigades near the border with South Korea to be ready to fire and the country's air defense forces to strengthen their mission of protecting the capital Pyongyang.

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of President Kim Jong-un, warned of a “terrible disaster” if North Korea detects any more South Korean drones flying over Pyongyang.

According to KCNA, on October 14, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also held a meeting with senior security officials to discuss the repeated intrusion of South Korean drones into the capital Pyongyang and to draw up military action plans to protect national sovereignty.

On the same day, Seoul announced that it had detected signs that North Korea was preparing to blow up northern parts of inter-Korean lines amid rising tensions.

By noon on October 15, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced that North Korea had blown up several sections of Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line.

The JCS added that it is enhancing its surveillance and combat readiness capabilities. The JCS had previously ordered military units to increase their alertness and firepower readiness after North Korea put its artillery forces on combat readiness.

JCS public relations director Lee Sung Joon said the South Korean military is closely monitoring Pyongyang's moves.

In a hearing before the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on October 14, Kim Kyung Il, Mayor of Paju, Panmunjom City, on the southern border in Gyeonggi Province, said that the escalating tensions in the border area in recent days have prompted residents in the area to consider evacuating their homes as if in a state of war. The Gyeonggi provincial government is also considering a plan to set up "risk zones" in border areas such as Goyang, Gimpo, Yeoncheon, Pocheon and Paju.