North Korea is testing numerous weapons this year. Three days after launching two short-range ballistic missiles, it is now flying several drones over the inner-Korean border. Its neighbors are responding by deploying fighter jets and combat helicopters.
According to South Korean information, North Korea has flown several drones over the inner-Korean border, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots. The South Korean General Staff said the first “North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle” had been spotted around Gimpo airspace in Gyeonggi province. Overall, several drones entered South Korea’s airspace in the border regions around Gyeonggi Province. Seoul then fired warning shots and deployed fighter jets and attack helicopters.
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, South Korean warplanes tried to shoot down the North Korean drones. The military in Seoul initially did not comment on whether drones were shot down or whether they flew back over the border.
According to Yonhap, one of the North Korean warplanes crashed into South Korea’s Hoengseong district. As Yonhap also reported, citing an official from the South Korean Minister of Transport, air traffic at Gimpo and Incheon International Airports was suspended for about an hour at the request of the General Staff.
It is the first time in five years that North Korean drones have entered South Korean airspace. The internationally isolated country has already tested numerous weapons this year. According to information from Seoul, Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles just last Friday. The missiles flew east towards the open sea – one 250, the other about 350 kilometers, said the General Staff of the armed forces in South Korea. South Korea’s military accused the neighboring country of renewed provocation.
UN resolutions ban North Korea, which has already conducted several nuclear tests, from testing ballistic missiles of any range. Depending on the design, these can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. Japan protested the latest missile test through its embassy in Beijing. The Federal Foreign Office announced on Friday that the federal government condemned the tests “strongly”. With the series of such missile launches, North Korea is “blatantly disregarding its obligations under relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and endangering regional and international security and stability,” the statement said.
Prior to the missile launches, North Korea had criticized the US for trying to get the UN Security Council to issue a so-called Presidential Statement condemning North Korea’s recent tests of missiles, including an ICBM, in November. According to state media, the Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang warned that such a “stupid attempt” would have consequences. The ministry accused the United States of disregarding North Korea’s sovereignty. As reported by South Korean broadcasters, the United States had apparently distributed a draft of the declaration among the members of the highest UN body.
