North Korean Drone Reportedly Breached No-Fly Zone Close To Presidential Office In South Korea

A North Korean drone intruded South Korean airspace by entering a no-fly zone surrounding the presidential office in Seoul last week, military officials said Thursday.

The incident occurred on Dec. 26 when the drone briefly entered the northern end of the 2.3-mile radius no-fly zone, a South Korean military official revealed, as reported by Reuters.

The North Korean drones flew over the neighboring country for hours in what was the first intrusion of the kind since 2017.

This was one of five such incidents that involved North Korean drones flying across the shared border into South Korea's airspace last month, according to Reuters.

South Korea's military deployed fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the five drones. However, none of the drones were taken down.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in South Korea initially denied that one of the North Korean drones had entered the no-fly zone near the presidential office. However, the statement was reversed Thursday, confirming that a North Korean drone intruded into the no-fly zone.

"It briefly flew into the northern edge of the zone, but it did not come close to key security facilities," a military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Yonhap News Agency.

The latest incursion raised questions about South Korea's air defense posture.

South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol criticized the handling of the drone intrusion and said the military's readiness was "greatly lacking" following the incident, BBC reported.

The military apologized for failing to shoot down the drones despite a five-hour pursuit.

"Our military's lack of preparedness has caused a lot of concern to the people," a senior official, Kang Shin-Chul, said in a statement last week, and noted that the military would "actively employ detection devices to spot the enemy's drone from an early stage and aggressively deploy strike assets."

Yoon also said Wednesday that he would consider suspending a 2018 inter-Korean military pact if North Korea violates its airspace again, his office said.

As per the 2018 deal, ceasing "all hostile acts" and creating a no-fly zone around the border was part of the agreement between the neighboring countries.