Russian Ambassador to North Korea: "Saw a Drone Over Pyongyang Airspace"

"Direct Visual Confirmation of South Korean Leaflets"

Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea, claimed to have seen a South Korean drone in Pyongyang.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In an interview with Russia's Rossiyskaya Gazeta on the 16th (local time), Ambassador Matsegora said regarding North Korea's claim that a South Korean drone had infiltrated, "In fact, on the night of October 8-9 around 12:30 a.m., a drone flew over the skies of downtown Pyongyang."

He added, "I went out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette at the embassy and heard a buzzing sound above my head," revealing that he personally witnessed the drone.

When asked if it was possible he misheard the sound, he replied, "It (the drone) circled at least three times," and said, "Pyongyang was completely silent at that time, so making a mistake was impossible."

Regarding North Korea's claim that the South Korean drone dropped leaflets, Ambassador Matsegora said, "The next day, local police collected South Korean leaflets around the embassy, which I personally confirmed with my own eyes." He added that the leaflets did not enter the embassy.

About the situation on the night the drone appeared, Matsegora said, "It was very unsettling," explaining, "Because the drone could have dropped something other than leaflets."

Earlier, North Korea claimed on the 11th that South Korea had infiltrated drones into Pyongyang on the 3rd, 9th, and 10th of this month to distribute leaflets and has been threatening South Korea daily since then. In response, on the 14th, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement supporting North Korea, calling South Korea's actions a violation of North Korea's sovereignty and interference in its internal affairs.

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