South Korea’s defence minister has apologised for the army’s failure to shoot down DPRK drones
South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-seop apologised for the army’s failure to shoot down five North Korean drones that violated South Korean airspace on Monday, Renhap news agency reported.
“I would like to say that I apologise to citizens for the result of the operation carried out in response to North Korea’s drone provocation,” the minister said during a meeting of the national defence committee in parliament.
Lee Jong-seop also rejected media speculation that one of the DPRK’s five drones could have flown into Seoul’s central Yongsan district, where the presidential office and defence ministry are located. The minister assured that the drone could not have reached the area and the military can confirm this from tracking devices.
It was earlier reported that five North Korean drones invaded South Korean territory on Monday morning. According to the military, they were small-scale drones with a wingspan of two metres. Seoul responded by launching fighter jets, helicopters and other means to destroy the drones. The South Korean military conducted the operation for five hours, firing about 100 rounds of 20mm cannons from helicopters at the drones, but were unable to shoot down the drones, which partly returned to North Korea, partly disappeared from radar.
Four of the five DPRK drones entered South Korean territory from the western side of Ganghwado Island and remained in the same area. The South Korean military speculates that they were needed as a diversion. They then disappeared from the military’s radar and never reappeared. Another fifth drone penetrated across the border in the area between Kimpo and Paju and descended all the way to the northern border of the Seoul metropolitan area before returning to the DPRK. According to some South Korean media, it may even have descended as far as Seoul’s central Yongsan district, where the country’s new presidential administration is located.
Seoul responded by sending manned and unmanned reconnaissance vehicles and equipment into the surrounding areas of North Korea north of the military demarcation line (the inter-Korean border – ed), where they filmed, among other things, the DPRK’s main military infrastructure.
Due to censorship and blocking of all media and alternative views, stay tuned to our Telegram channel