'Completely untrue': South's defense minister denies North's accusation of drone incursions

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'Completely untrue': South's defense minister denies North's accusation of drone incursions

Published: 10 Jan. 2026, 12:02

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back responds to a lawmaker's question at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 7. [YONHAP]

South Korea's defense minister on Saturday rejected North Korea's claim that Seoul had again sent drones into the North's airspace, calling the allegation “completely untrue” and suggesting a joint investigation to verify the facts.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back made the remarks in response to questions from Yonhap News after North Korea said it had forced down South Korean drones that allegedly crossed the border in September last year and earlier this month. North Korea released photographs of what it said were the wreckage of the downed aircraft.

“The drone shown in the photos is not a model operated by our military,” Ahn said. He added that no flight training or drone operations were conducted on the dates cited by Pyongyang by the South Korean military’s Drone Operations Command, Ground Operations Command or Marine Corps Command.

Referring to South Korea’s recent political turmoil, Ahn said it was implausible that such an operation would have been carried out so shortly after former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal from office following his short-lived declaration of emergency martial law in December 2024.

“The nightmare of martial law is still fresh,” he said. “I can’t imagine something like this happening.”

Ahn suggested that the two Koreas conduct a joint investigation into the incident.

The Defense Ministry echoed his remarks, saying it had confirmed that the South Korean military did not operate drones on the dates claimed by the North. It added that President Lee Jae Myung had ordered a thorough investigation and that relevant agencies were continuing to examine the matter.

Earlier on Saturday, North Korea accused South Korea of sending drones into its territory in September and again on Sunday through a statement by a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army that was carried by state media.

This photo, carried by the North's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 10, shows what North Korea claimed was a drone sent by South Korea on Sept. 27, 2025. The North's military said it struck the drone with its electronic means, forcing it to fall in Jangphung County in the North's border city of Kaesong. [YONHAP]

The North said the most recent drone took off from Ganghwa County in Incheon and flew over Kaesong and Pyeongsan County in North Hwanghae Province, while the earlier drone departed from Paju, near the border, and followed a similar route.

North Korea said it had shot down both drones and warned that South Korea would “pay a price” for what it called repeated violations of its sovereignty.

Experts expressed skepticism about Pyongyang’s claims, noting that the drone shown in the North’s photographs appeared to be made from inexpensive commercial parts rather than military-grade equipment.

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, said the flight control computer appeared to be a general-purpose component commonly used by hobbyists, while the receiver was a low-cost Chinese part with little antijamming capability and not compliant with military communication standards.

“It is theoretically possible that the military used a disposable drone for deception,” Hong said. “But considering the aircraft’s specifications, the intelligence value and the components used, that scenario is unlikely.”

Hong said the drone’s exterior closely resembled the Skywalker Titan 2160, a model produced by the Chinese company Skywalker Technology. The aircraft, which can fly up to about 160 miles for as long as four hours, is typically sold for the equivalent of about $750 and is widely used for hobby, commercial and industrial purposes.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]