[3rd Report] Several North Korean Drones Fly Over Gimpo and Paju Areas in Gyeonggi

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A North Korean drone has once again violated our airspace after five years. Our military identified it as a drone and issued multiple warning broadcasts and warning shots, deploying response forces including Air Force fighter jets and attack helicopters to carry out a shoot-down operation.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 26th, several unidentified tracks presumed to be North Korean drones were detected around Gyeonggi Province starting at approximately 10:25 a.m. that day. The North Korean drones flew from north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) over areas including Gimpo and Paju in Gyeonggi and Ganghwado Island. Several drones showed different types of flight paths, with some descending into areas inhabited by civilians and villages.

The military identified the drones not only through detection assets but also visually, and the size of the drones was reported to be similar to those discovered in the South in 2014.

This is the first time a North Korean drone has been detected since it crashed in a mountain in Inje, Gangwon Province on June 9, 2017. At that time, the drone had crossed the MDL and even flew down to the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, capturing images of the area. According to our military’s investigation, the drone’s total flight time was about 5 hours and 30 minutes, covering approximately 490 km. After photographing Seongju, it was heading north when it crashed due to engine failure.

Additionally, in January 2016, a North Korean drone crossed the MDL into the Munsan area of Gyeonggi Province but returned north after the military issued warning broadcasts and warning shots. In August 2015, when tensions were high due to a DMZ landmine provocation, North Korean drones repeatedly violated the airspace south of the MDL over Hwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Earlier that day at 11:39 a.m., a KA-1 light attack aircraft crashed after taking off from the Air Force Wonju base. It was deployed to support the operation against the North Korean drones when the accident occurred.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.