Civilians sent drones to N.Korea four times, Seoul says
Seoul said three South Korean civilians had sent drones into North Korea four times since President Lee Jae-myung took office, damaging inter-Korean relations.
The trio flew the plane between September 2025 and January, Chung said, citing an ongoing investigation by police and the military.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said drones had crashed twice in North Korea, in line with Pyongyang’s claims.
In the other two trials, drones flew over Kaesong, a city in North Korea, and then returned to Paju, a border settlement in South Korea, Chung said.
He said South Korean authorities were investigating three civilians on suspicion of violating the aviation security law and criminal law by providing benefits to the enemy.
Some officials in South Korea’s military intelligence agency and the National Intelligence Service are also under investigation for alleged ties to the trio, he said.
“We officially express our regrets to the North,” Chung said, adding that the government takes incidents of drone strikes very seriously.
North Korea reacted angrily, saying last month that drones from South Korea had entered its airspace following another attack in September.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, called on Seoul to investigate the incident and warned that provocations could lead to “terrible situations”.
Chung also expressed regret that South Korea sent 18 drones to North Korea on the instructions of ousted president Yoon Suk-yeol.
“This was an extremely dangerous incident aimed at launching an attack against South Korea by sending 18 drones 11 times to sensitive areas in North Korea, including the airspace above the Workers’ Party building,” he said.
South Korean prosecutors indicted Yoon, who was dismissed in April 2025, on charges that include aiding a hostile state.
They accused him and his military commanders of ordering a covert drone operation into the North to escalate tensions and legitimize martial law.
Yoon denies any wrongdoing.
