JCS Faces 'Misjudgment After Misjudgment' Over N. Korean Drone... Calls for Dismissal Arise

After North Korea Drone Infiltration, Fighter Jets Dispatched Mistaking Birds
Unable to Analyze Drone Flight Path, Yongsan Infiltration Admitted After 8 Days
Presidential Office Denies Photo Opportunity, but NIS Says "Likely"

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Criticism is emerging that the Joint Chiefs of Staff's response to the incident of a North Korean drone infiltrating the airspace over Seoul was overall inadequate. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are supposed to command the army, navy, and air force comprehensively in drone response, but repeated "misjudgments upon misjudgments" have led to dissatisfaction, with trust in each military branch also declining.

According to the military on the 6th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff made the final judgment that the North Korean drone violated the no-fly zone (P-73) on the 3rd of this month. On the 26th of last month, when the North Korean drone infiltrated, the Joint Chiefs stated, "There is no fact of P-73 airspace violation," but it took ten days before they realized the infiltration had occurred.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

P-73 is a military operational zone set around the presidential office and residence for presidential security. The Joint Chiefs of Staff shifted the responsibility for failing to protect the military commander-in-chief to the frontline operational units. The claim is that the operational units did not know about the drone intrusion from the beginning, and during the Joint Chiefs' review process, they connected the dotted radar tracks and re-examined the situation, thereby realizing the drone intrusion.

The Joint Chiefs also asserted, "It is still impossible that the presidential office was photographed," and concluded, "Considering the distance and altitude, no meaningful information beyond what Google provides could have been obtained."

The National Intelligence Service's judgment differed. On the 5th, at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee plenary session, the National Intelligence Service stated, "There is a possibility that the North Korean drone photographed the Yongsan presidential office." They also warned, "North Korea possesses about 500 drones of over 20 types and is developing long-range reconnaissance drones."

Earlier, on the 16th of last month, General Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the Army's 5th Corps headquarters and air defense positions, instructing to "maintain readiness against enemy drone provocations." Yet, within just ten days, a North Korean drone infiltrated the airspace over Seoul. Although General Kim ordered a joint air defense exercise for the first time in five years, no live-fire training was conducted. The exercise was held because the drone was not shot down when discovered, but the absence of live-fire training led to criticism within the military that it was a "show-only exercise."

Subsequently, on the 27th and 28th of last month, the Joint Chiefs scrambled fighter jets after unidentified radar tracks were detected, but they mistook flocks of birds and balloons for drones. A government official said, "It is problematic that the North Korean drone flew over Seoul again after 2017, but it is necessary to examine whether the misjudgment was due to the military leadership or system issues."

As the Joint Chiefs' inadequate response came under fire, calls for accountability have also arisen within the ruling party. On the previous day’s party floor meeting, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "It makes us doubt whether our military's response capability is only this much," and added, "We must thoroughly investigate to identify who is responsible and ensure that such incidents never recur." He urged a thorough investigation into whether the misjudgment in responding to the North Korean drone was due to personnel issues, system problems, or training deficiencies.

The Democratic Party focused on allegations that the military authorities tried to conceal the drone's flight near the presidential office and demanded a public apology from President Yoon Suk-yeol and a cabinet reshuffle. At an expanded executive meeting the previous day, party leader Lee Jae-myung stated, "It was revealed belatedly that the North Korean drone roamed the no-fly zone around Yongsan, where the presidential office is located. This is an unacceptable, massive security disaster," and insisted, "The military leadership must be held appropriately accountable."

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, also said, "The Minister of National Defense, who falsely reported loudly in the National Assembly that the drone did not come to Yongsan, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who rebuked Democratic Party lawmakers saying it was not true, must apologize deeply to the public," adding, "Disciplinary action against the Minister of National Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the head of the Presidential Security Service is inevitable."

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