North Korean drone stirs our airspace for 7 hours... Fails to shoot down despite firing over 100 rounds

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] A North Korean drone violated South Korean airspace for the first time in five years but ultimately failed to be shot down. During that time, the North Korean drone flew around the skies over Seoul, Ganghwa, and Paju for about seven hours.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 26th, several unidentified flight paths presumed to be from North Korean drones were detected around Gyeonggi Province starting at approximately 10:25 a.m. that day. A total of five North Korean drones were identified. The first detected drone entered the Han River neutral zone between Gimpo and Paju, proceeded straight to the northern part of Seoul, and then left Seoul to return to North Korea.

The remaining four drones entered the western side of Ganghwa Island and showed flight paths active in the Ganghwa area. The military judged that these four drones were used as a diversion to disperse the South Korean military’s focus. These four drones disappeared from the South Korean military’s detection assets and no further flight paths were observed.

The military is further analyzing the exact return time of the North Korean drones but estimates that they stayed in South Korean airspace for at least seven hours from the morning. The military reported that a South Korean pilot visually identified one North Korean drone, which appeared to have a wingspan of about 2 meters.

The military responded with Air Force fighter jets, attack helicopters, and light attack aircraft. When a drone was detected by radar off the western coast of Gyodongdo Island, the helicopter fired about 100 rounds from its 20mm cannon but failed to shoot it down.

A military official stated, "We responded within the scope that would not cause harm to our citizens." Earlier, after detecting the drones, the military issued warning broadcasts and warning shots toward the North, where the drone operators are presumed to be located.

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