North Korea Sends Drones Into South Korea in Brazen Incursion
North Korea sent several small drones into South Korean airspace Monday, Seoul officials said, prompting South Korea's military to fly its own unmanned surveillance aircraft north of the sensitive border.
South Korea also scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters to respond to the North Korean incursion but failed to bring down any of the drones, according to South Korean military officials.
While one of the drones returned to North Korea, the status of four others is not known, said South Korean military officials who spoke to reporters on background late Monday.
It's not clear if the North Korean drones were armed, though South Korean officials say they were small - with a wingspan of only about 2 meters.
North Korea has sent tiny, crudely built UAVs into South Korea for apparent surveillance missions at least four other times since 2014, though this is the first reported incursion in more than five years.
Monday’s incident appeared particularly brazen, as the North Korean drones were reported to have flown around populated areas of South Korea for much of the day.
The first North Korean UAV crossed the border near South Korea’s northeast island of Ganghwa at 10:25 am local time and was quickly followed by the others, according to South Korean military officials.
Four of the drones flew near Ganghwa, while the other flew as far as the northern part of the Seoul metropolitan area, which is approximately 50 kilometers away, officials added.
As of 8:00 pm local time, there was no indication that any of the drones had been captured. There were no reports of damage in South Korea.
According to South Korea’s transport ministry, aircraft departures were temporarily halted at South Korea’s main Incheon Airport and the smaller Gimpo Airport, both of which are close to the reported North Korean intrusions.
