Was the 'Pyongyang Drone' Directed by Kim Yong-hyun... JCS Remains Silent

Opposition's Park Beom-gye Raises Suspicion of 'Preliminary Work for Emergency Martial Law'

Park Beom-gye, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that our military flew drones over Pyongyang under the orders of former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, but the military authorities did not provide any specific response.

Former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun.

On the 9th, Lee Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to a question about Park's claim at the Ministry of National Defense regular briefing by saying, "There is nothing to confirm." This is interpreted to mean that the military authorities' position remains the same as before. During the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit in October, then-Minister Kim Yong-hyun stated, "The basic position is that we cannot confirm the truth of such North Korean claims regarding drones."

Earlier, in October this year, Park Beom-gye claimed that the party responsible for flying drones over Pyongyang was our military acting under the orders of former Minister Kim Yong-hyun. He said he received related information from the military and judged it to be credible. Park stated, "It appears that the Republic of Korea Counterintelligence Command, where former Commander Yeo In-hyung, a high school junior of former Minister Kim, was stationed, practically planned this," and also raised the 'pre-martial law preparation theory.'

North Korea Claims Discovery of South Korean Military Drone Debris in Pyongyang - Yonhap News

Additionally, Lee Seong-jun denied reports that former Minister Kim ordered a pinpoint strike in response to North Korea's release of anti-South Korean trash balloons, but Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo opposed it, saying, "The Joint Chiefs of Staff never received an order to conduct a pinpoint strike," and "(Since no such order was received,) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not refuse it either."

Lee added, "There was no order for a pinpoint strike to induce a localized war," and "Our military frequently holds discussions on various operational matters." He also stated, "The Joint Chiefs of Staff have already warned that military measures will be taken if North Korea crosses the line, and since then, they have continued to prepare such countermeasures."

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