North Korea claimed on Saturday that it had found the remains of a crashed South Korean military drone, indicating that it may have been on a propaganda mission as part of the ongoing tensions between the two countries involving flying objects crossing the border.
According to the state news agency KCNA, the shape of the drone, the estimated flight time, and the leaflet-scattering box attached to the drone’s fuselage suggest that it could be the same drone that dispersed leaflets over central Pyongyang. However, a definitive conclusion has not yet been reached.
The South Korean government has not confirmed whether such drones were flown, and if they were, whether they belonged to the military or civilians. It has refrained from responding to North Korea’s claims, stating that it does not want to be drawn into a potential provocation.
KCNA warned that any violation of North Korea’s territory by South Korea’s military would be seen as a serious military provocation and a declaration of war, prompting an immediate retaliatory attack.
Tensions between the two Koreas have been escalating since North Korea began sending balloons carrying trash across the border to the South in late May. In response, South Korea resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, which have angered Pyongyang.
North Korea has accused the South’s military of flying drones over its capital on multiple occasions this month, threatening to unleash a “horrible disaster” if another drone is detected in its airspace.
South Korea’s defense ministry dismissed North Korea’s claims as not worthy of verification or a response.
Translation:
North Korea claimed on Saturday that it had found the remains of a crashed South Korean military drone, indicating that it may have been on a propaganda mission as part of the ongoing tensions between the two countries involving flying objects crossing the border.
According to the state news agency KCNA, the shape of the drone, the estimated flight time, and the leaflet-scattering box attached to the drone’s fuselage suggest that it could be the same drone that dispersed leaflets over central Pyongyang. However, a definitive conclusion has not yet been reached.
The South Korean government has not confirmed whether such drones were flown, and if they were, whether they belonged to the military or civilians. It has refrained from responding to North Korea’s claims, stating that it does not want to be drawn into a potential provocation.
KCNA warned that any violation of North Korea’s territory by South Korea’s military would be seen as a serious military provocation and a declaration of war, prompting an immediate retaliatory attack.
Tensions between the two Koreas have been escalating since North Korea began sending balloons carrying trash across the border to the South in late May. In response, South Korea resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts, which have angered Pyongyang.
North Korea has accused the South’s military of flying drones over its capital on multiple occasions this month, threatening to unleash a “horrible disaster” if another drone is detected in its airspace.
South Korea’s defense ministry dismissed North Korea’s claims as not worthy of verification or a response.