[Initial Report] Drone Intrusions Recur When Least Expected... Not the Time for Political Strife

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea's drones have once again penetrated our air defense network. Although the drones were crude and at a beginner level, our military, equipped with advanced technology, failed to respond properly. The Presidential Office ordered appropriate measures, including shoot-downs, but not a single drone was shot down. There was even a 'happening' where a flock of birds was mistaken for drones, prompting a response force to be dispatched. It is truly a 'total crisis.'

North Korean drones targeting our air defense network is not a new issue. In his 2014 New Year's address, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, emphasized "lightweight, unmanned, and intelligent" in the air defense sector, but North Korea has been fervently pursuing unmanned technology for a long time. According to a report by the Korea Defense Research Institute, diplomatic documents mention that North Korea attempted to acquire drones from Japan as early as the 1970s. Between 1988 and 1990, they first obtained Chinese-made D-4 drones, and it is known that from the early 1990s, they began developing and producing their own drones based on these models.

The existence of North Korean drones, previously known only as rumors, drew media attention in 2010. In August of that year, after North Korea fired coastal artillery at the Northern Limit Line (NLL), reports emerged that drones were used for reconnaissance. It is also analyzed that drones conducted reconnaissance just before the Yeonpyeong Island shelling in November of the same year.

During the Park Geun-hye administration in 2014, drones were consecutively discovered in Paju, Baengnyeongdo, and Samcheok. The Paju drone filmed the Blue House and major facilities in Seoul, while the Baengnyeongdo drone captured military installations in the area. Furthermore, during the Moon Jae-in administration in 2017, a drone even descended to Seongju, Gyeongbuk, where the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system was deployed, but it went undetected, causing controversy. Each time, painful criticism arose that 'our air defense network was breached,' yet this time, the same method was used against us again.

The Presidential Office explains that North Korean drones are so small that they are less likely to be detected by our air defense systems. However, this is a 'cowardly excuse.' It is already well known that North Korea, lacking the capacity to operate large, high-performance drones, instead possesses multiple crude and small drones to maximize efficiency. Therefore, finding countermeasures suitable for this is a priority.

Even the smallest drone can become a weapon threatening the Seoul metropolitan area, where 50% of the population resides, if it carries bombs or biological and chemical weapons. Biological weapons, in particular, can be more lethal than nuclear or chemical weapons. For example, anthrax spores in quantities of tens to hundreds of grams can cause widespread damage. They can also be used in suicide attacks on key facilities. In 2014, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin stated in the National Assembly, "If North Korean drones develop further, they could be equipped with suicide attack functions."

In this situation, attempts to blame the previous administration for the drone incident and turn it into a 'political conflict' are utterly disgraceful. President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the previous government's lack of military preparedness and training over recent years during a Cabinet meeting, and Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, supported the argument for the previous government's responsibility, saying, "Despite past incursions, why was there no preparation from then on? We must thoroughly investigate and prepare." In response, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, fired back, asking, "What did the government do for seven hours?" The opposition is also pushing the government's responsibility by pointing out that the National Security Council (NSC) was not convened at the Presidential Office. This is not the time to politicize an issue involving the lives of the people. Even now, the government and ruling and opposition parties must unite to devise measures to deal with the troublesome North Korean drones.

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