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North Korea accused South Korea on Saturday of flying a spy drone over its territory earlier this month, a claim that Seoul has denied.
Pyongyang’s military said it tracked a drone moving northward over Ganghwa County, near the South Korean border, in early January before shooting it down near the North Korean city of Kaesong.
According to a spokesperson, the drone was equipped with surveillance devices, and analysis of its wreckage indicated it had recorded footage of key targets, including border areas.
Photos released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed the drone’s remains alongside cameras and other components.
Seoul responded that it had no record of the flight.
South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the drone in the photographs was not a model used by the military.
The office of President Lee Jae-myung said a national security meeting would be held to discuss the matter.
Lee later ordered a swift investigation by a joint military-police team and warned that if civilians had operated the drone, it would constitute a serious crime threatening national security and peace on the peninsula.
The North Korean spokesperson likened the incident to a similar case in September, when South Korea allegedly flew drones near the border city of Paju, and warned that continued flights would compel Seoul to “pay a dear price.”
South Korea is already probing alleged drone flights over North Korean territory in late 2024, ordered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol, though the military has not confirmed those missions.
Prosecutors have indicted Yoon on charges of illegally ordering the flights to provoke Pyongyang and justify a brief attempt to impose martial law.
KCNA said flight-path data indicated the latest drone had flown in square patterns over Kaesong before it was downed.
Analysts noted that the drone appeared to be a low-cost commercial model unlikely to originate from the South Korean military.
