Why Was the Anti-Air Target Drone Sent to Pyongyang? [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

Contract Signed Between ADD and KAI Just One Month After Presidential Order

Sudden Transfer to Drone Operations Command Instead of Use as Aerial Target Aircraft

President Lee Jaemyung expressed his regret to the North regarding the 'North Korean drone infiltration incident,' drawing increased attention to the drone manufacturing process. Although President Lee had previously issued strong criticisms of the incident on several occasions, this marked the first time he had directly conveyed his regret to North Korea. Both inside and outside the military, there are calls to launch an investigation into the drone acquisition project.

The Workers' Party of Korea's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, stated through a Ministry of National Defense spokesperson's statement that the analysis of debris from the drone that infiltrated Pyongyang revealed it to be the same model as the drone mounted on a vehicle during South Korea's Armed Forces Day commemorative event. Photo by Pyongyang Rodong Sinmun.

According to government officials on April 11, the drone that infiltrated North Korea was initially acquired through a project led by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). In January 2023, former President Moon Jae-in instructed officials to verify the mass production capability of low-cost, small drones. ADD decided to pursue the project through in-house research and development, allocating 3.2 billion won for technology fees. The announcement for the project was also released swiftly—it came just two months after former President Moon's directive.

Although Only ADD and KAI Participated in the Bid, the Contract Was Awarded via Private Negotiation in Just a Week

The contract was finalized within just one week. On March 23, 2023, ADD opened the tender notice, and by March 29, it had signed a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). At the time, ADD Director Park Jongseung and KAI President Kang Kuyoung entered into a private contract. In the industry, there is skepticism regarding the private contract, as typical open competition procedures require a re-announcement if only one company participates in bidding. The contract conditions included 100 aerial vehicles, two launchers, ground control equipment, operational equipment, and technical data.

Former President Kang Kuyoung Outsourced Drone Production to Sungwoo Engineering Instead of Manufacturing Directly

However, KAI did not manufacture the drones themselves. Although former President Kang signed the contract for 3.22 billion won, KAI abandoned in-house production and subcontracted the manufacturing. The task was entrusted to Sungwoo Engineering, located in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

Through this project, ADD aimed to verify the mass production and long-range flight capability of the drones, along with their recovery and survival rates. The plan was to utilize them as target drones for attack weapons in the future. However, on July 18, 2023, the Joint Chiefs of Staff suddenly requested a list of specifications and detailed equipment for low-cost, small reconnaissance drones. A week later, on July 25, the Drone Operations Command sent an official letter requesting 86 drones and related equipment. It was unusual for the military to request research and development equipment, but ADD Director Park Jongseung decided within three days to donate the equipment free of charge.

Former Director Park Jongseung Donates Research and Development Drones Free of Charge to the Drone Company

The following year, under President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration, the Drone Operations Command launched drones received from ADD toward Pyongyang, but they crashed. In relation to the incident where a drone carrying anti-North Korean leaflets was discovered in Pyongyang, North Korea presented evidence on October 19, 2024, asserting that it was sent by the South Korean military authorities.

According to the special prosecutor's investigation, former President Yoon and others infiltrated drones into Pyongyang multiple times through the Drone Operations Command in October 2024. On October 3, 2024, two drones from the 101st Battalion on Baengnyeong Island took off at 2 a.m. at 10-minute intervals. They flew near Residence No. 15, known as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s official residence near Pyongyang, and returned around 6 a.m. Additional drone infiltration reportedly took place in November of the same year. The special prosecutor’s office obtained an internal report from the Joint Chiefs of Staff stating that at least ten drone infiltrations into North Korea occurred between October and mid-November 2024.

The special prosecutor determined that this leak of classified information damaged South Korea’s military interests and provided military benefits to the enemy, thus applying the charge of “general aiding the enemy.” This charge is established regardless of whether there was direct collusion with the enemy if it is determined that military interests were harmed or military benefit was provided to the enemy. The special prosecutor's team cited as evidence a meeting that took place in the presidential office in mid-September 2024 between former President Yoon, former Minister Kim, and former Commander Kim Yongdae. They also obtained testimony that former Minister Kim proceeded with the operation despite opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

North Korea claimed that it discovered wreckage of an unmanned aerial vehicle identical to the drones operated by the South Korean military in Pyongyang and released related photos. A spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense of North Korea announced on the 19th through the Korean Central News Agency, "The serious sovereignty violation provocation incident by South Korean military gangsters has been clearly confirmed through the acquisition of decisive evidence and objective and scientific investigation."
Pyongyang, Korean Central News Agency = Yonhap News

The special prosecutor believes that some of the drones deployed at the time crashed in areas near Pyongyang, exposing key military secrets such as operational plans and force deployments to North Korea. Equipment recovered from the drone crash sites contained information on operational areas, flight paths, and deployment schedules—data considered crucial for assessing the South Korean military's operational capabilities and tactics.

According to military sources, the operation was initiated by former President Yoon’s direct order in June 2024. From that point, the Drone Operations Command reportedly produced containers for distributing leaflets and conducted training. S-BAT model drones, typically used for training, were deployed for the operation; however, this model had previously been evaluated in an Army pilot project report as unsuitable for reconnaissance or combat due to its loud noise and large radar cross-section.

Former President Yoon Directly Ordered the Illegal Drone Operation

Former Drone Operations Commander Kim Yongdae (Major General) filed for suspension of disciplinary action, but the court denied the request. On the 16th of last month, the court held a hearing for the injunction case and reviewed Kim’s claims but concluded there were no grounds to suspend the disciplinary action. The trial schedule for Kim’s main lawsuit seeking the reversal of his dismissal against the Minister of National Defense has yet to be determined.

Former Commander Kim was indicted in November of last year for ordering his subordinates to deploy drones to Pyongyang in October 2024 without following procedures such as seeking United Nations Command approval, and for fabricating documents to conceal the crash of a drone during the operation. The special prosecutor suspects that Kim, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and former Minister Kim Yonghyun carried out the operation in a reckless manner to create grounds for declaring the December 3 Martial Law (12·3 Emergency Martial Law) through military provocation against North Korea. The Ministry of National Defense removed Kim from his post in December of last year and dismissed him three months later, last month.

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