Two civilians suspected in drone intrusion over Pyongyang had worked for Yoon's office: Probe
Published: 18 Jan. 2026, 16:39
Updated: 18 Jan. 2026, 18:25
![Debris from a crashed unmanned aerial vehicle [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/18/63ddd987-8527-40ed-8352-54123bda8296.jpg)
Debris from a crashed unmanned aerial vehicle [NEWS1]
Investigators have determined that two civilians suspected of involvement in an alleged unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intrusions over Pyongyang last year and this year previously worked at the presidential office under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, prompting authorities to widen their probe.
On Jan. 10, North Korea claimed that a UAV originating from South Korea flew over Pyongyang and conducted surveillance before crashing and being recovered. Pyongyang released photos of what it described as drone wreckage and aerial images.
Investigators identified both the man who claimed to have operated the UAV and another man accused of manufacturing it as former civilian employees at the presidential office during the Yoon administration, according to Yonhap News Agency on Sunday.
The suspected manufacturer worked as a news monitoring staffer in the presidential spokesperson’s office, and the period of employment at the presidential office largely overlapped with that of the alleged operator.
A joint military-police task force summoned the suspected manufacturer for questioning on Friday and reportedly believes he is the aircraft's builder.
![A bus moves through a village in Kaepung County, North Hwanghae Province, as seen from the Ganghwa Peace Observatory in Incheon on Jan. 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/18/adfd19a1-d771-464a-a849-0df91f6740c6.jpg)
A bus moves through a village in Kaepung County, North Hwanghae Province, as seen from the Ganghwa Peace Observatory in Incheon on Jan. 11. [YONHAP]
The suspected manufacturer was also sent to prosecutors in November last year on charges of violating the Aviation Security Act after launching an unregistered UAV in Yeoju, Gyeonggi. Authorities said the same model appeared in the investigation into the alleged flight into North Korea.
Military and police investigators, however, classified the flight as a laboratory test and did not apply charges related to anti-state activities.
The suspected manufacturer and the alleged operator attended the same university in Seoul. The two later co-founded a drone manufacturing startup in 2024 with support from their school, serving as CEO and director, respectively. The pair also organized and participated together in a youth group focused on inter-Korean unification in 2020.
“The builder purchased the aircraft body through an online Chinese marketplace and carried out initial modifications, and I attached a camera and flew it toward North Korea,” the operator told Channel A on Friday.
![A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post flying a national flag, seen from Paju, Gyeonggi on June 26, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/18/1a2bdfdc-d869-4fb7-ba02-78966701615d.jpg)
A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post flying a national flag, seen from Paju, Gyeonggi on June 26, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]
The alleged operator, who previously served as head of a conservative-leaning youth group, currently attends a journalism graduate school at a private university in Seoul. Reports say the operator submitted a letter of recommendation from a senior official in the Yoon administration during the admissions process.
Some figures within the Democratic Party have raised suspicions that the incident may have involved a coordinated effort aimed at provoking a military response from North Korea rather than an isolated individual act.
Former President Yoon currently stands trial on charges that he directed a covert operation to send UAVs into Pyongyang in October 2024 to justify the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 that year.
The alleged operator has denied hostile intent, claiming the flight aimed to measure radiation and heavy metal contamination near a uranium facility along the Ryesong River.
He said the effort sought to independently verify allegations of radioactive wastewater flowing from North Korea into the Yellow Sea, which the government dismissed as untrue last year.
Police continue to investigate whether the two men coordinated in advance to manufacture and operate the UAV, and are examining the motive, the circumstances and the potential involvement of other parties.
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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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