Lee warns of strict punishment for drone incident

President Lee Jae-myung said on Jan. 20 that a civilian drone’s intrusion into North Korean territory was “no different from an act of starting a war” and “tantamount to firing a gun at North Korea,” calling for a thorough investigation and severe punishment to ensure such incidents never happen again. His remarks came 10 days after he ordered an intensive probe into reports that civilians may have sent drones into the North, describing such acts as serious crimes that threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula and undermine national security.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting he chaired at the presidential office, Lee said it was inconceivable that civilians could infiltrate North Korean territory with drones and questioned how such actions could have occurred without detection. Citing the crime of private warfare under the Criminal Act, he noted that the law provides for punishment of individuals who independently engage in acts equivalent to initiating war against another state. He instructed a joint military and police investigative task force to carry out a swift and comprehensive inquiry. Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee, earlier urged South Korea on Jan. 13 to take measures to prevent a recurrence.

Lee also said it was questionable whether civilians alone could have planned and carried out such actions, adding that while the investigation must proceed, there are claims suggesting possible involvement by state institutions. Allegations have emerged that the Defense Intelligence Command, a key military unit previously implicated in the Dec. 3 martial law incident, provided support to a man surnamed Oh, who claims he flew drones into North Korea, as well as to a man surnamed Jang, the head of a drone manufacturing company suspected of involvement in producing the drones. Military authorities said they are in the process of verifying the allegations. Both Oh and Jang were found to have worked at the presidential office during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

A military source familiar with the Defense Intelligence Command said Oh established a front media outlet in March last year as part of psychological and public opinion operations targeting North Korea, and that intelligence funds were provided to support the effort.

Separately, the Future Strategy Subcommittee under the Defense Ministry’s Civilian, Government and Military Joint Special Advisory Committee recommended on the same day that the Drone Operations Command be dismantled.

The Drone Operations Command has been accused of attempting to provoke North Korea by infiltrating drones into areas including Pyongyang and Wonsan more than 10 times between October and November 2024, shortly before martial law was declared, under orders from then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. The subcommittee said it recommended dissolving the unit after finding that overlapping functions with other military branches had caused operational inefficiencies. After the drone infiltration incidents came to light, suspicions were also raised that the unit had been established to enable the president or defense minister to issue direct orders in anticipation of martial law. The Defense Ministry is widely expected to finalize the unit’s dissolution in line with the recommendation.


Hoon-Sang Park tigermask@donga.com