A North Korean drone penetrated the no-fly zone near the presidential office in Seoul last week. This was announced by the South Korean army command on Thursday news agency Reuters. The drone was one of five North Korean drones that flew over South Korea for hours on Boxing Day, after which the military had to deploy fighter jets in an attempt to shoot down the objects, which failed.
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South Korea’s military previously denied that any of the drones had flown near the presidential office, but admitted it on Thursday. According to a spokesman, the unmanned aircraft did not fly directly over President Yoon Suk-yeol’s office. The South Korean army command also apologized for failing to shoot down the five drones. President Yoon Suk-yeol said the incident showed that the preparedness of the army “leaves much to be desired”.
It is the first time in five years that North Korean drones have invaded South Korean airspace. Yoon Suk-yeol has warned that if North Korea invades South Korean airspace again, he will cancel the 2018 military treaty between the two countries. That treaty has, among other things, created buffer zones in neighboring countries, which are still formally involved in a war. War broke out between the two Koreas in 1950, and an armistice was signed in 1953.
Tensions between the two countries are regularly rising. North Korea has been active for months, including carrying out missile tests and nuclear threats. Since September 2022, the North Koreans took a new law which prohibits negotiating the possession of nuclear weapons. Since then, the country has been simulating attacks on South Korean targets with tactical nuclear weapons. Kim Jong-un said at the time that North Korea would automatically carry out a “preventive nuclear attack” if it threatened, for example, the population, leadership or existence of the country.