Special prosecutor probes Yoon’s early knowledge of drone plan

It has been revealed that the special prosecutor investigating insurrection allegations obtained a document titled the “V Report,” prepared by the Drone Operations Command in July last year to brief the presidential office in Yongsan on the planned drone operation targeting Pyongyang. The finding suggests that former President Yoon Suk-yeol may have known about the operation from its initial planning stages.

The special prosecutor found that four to six officials from the Drone Operations Command formed a planning team around June last year to discuss the Pyongyang drone operation plan. They drafted the “V Report” a month later, outlining the overall plan and expected impact of the operation. The document includes remarks such as, “This could be a violation of the armistice agreement, so shouldn't we discuss it with the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff?”

Testimonies from multiple Drone Operations Command officials indicated that Kim Yong-dae, the head of the command, was known to have printed multiple copies of the V Report and taken them to Yongsan for reporting. “Around July last year, I heard Commander Kim say, ‘This is not the kind of report that can be done over a black phone, so I'm going to report in person,” an official said.

The special prosecutor confirmed that the Drone Operations Command did not upload the report to the Korean Joint Command and Control System and is investigating why. The inquiry focuses on whether the omission was deliberate to conceal the drone operation, as military operations under the Joint Chiefs of Staff are normally required to be registered in the system.

Earlier, Commander Kim appeared before the special prosecutor on July 17 and stated during questioning that “there were no orders from V.” However, with evidence showing the Drone Operations Command prepared documents for the presidential office from the planning stage, the investigation is expected to intensify. Prosecutors are also considering whether Kim bypassed parts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reported directly to the presidential office, as the V Report questioned, “Shouldn't we discuss this with the Joint Chiefs of Staff?”


고도예 기자 yea@donga.com