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The remains of a drone that Pyongyang claims was sent from South Korea in this image provided by the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 19, 2024. (KCNA-Yonhap) |
North Korea claimed Saturday it has discovered remains of at least one drone sent from South Korea, describing it as the same type displayed on the South's Armed Forces Day in Seoul earlier this month.
Pyongyang has accused Seoul of sending drones carrying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets over the capital. But South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said that he could not confirm the North's allegations.
A North Korean defense ministry spokesperson said in a statement that the Pyongyang Municipal Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security found the remains of a crashed drone in an area in the capital on Oct. 13,
An inquiry has determined that the drone was a "light one for long-range reconnaissance" used by the South Korean military's "Drone Operation Command," added the statement, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency.
The North Korean official argued the drone was the same type as the vehicle-carried drone publicly displayed in Seoul during an event marking Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1.
The official noted the North has not yet determined whether the discovered drone was the same one that allegedly scattered leaflets over central Pyongyang.
"If the drone's involvement in the recent leaflet-scattering incident is denied, it will be evidence of another wanton violation of the airspace of our country by a military means of the ROK and it will be taken more seriously as an example of a series of provocations by the military gangsters of the hostile country," said the statement.
ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The spokesperson warned of an "immediate retaliatory attack" should another violation of the North's territory by the South's military be confirmed, adding that the North's military has ordered units in Pyongyang and near the border to reinforce anti-air observation posts.
"If a violation of the DPRK's territorial ground, air and waters by ROK's military means is discovered and confirmed again, it will be regarded as a grave military provocation against the sovereignty of the DPRK and a declaration of war and an immediate retaliatory attack will be launched," the North said, using its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The official's announcement, alongside photos showing what the North claimed to be remains of the drone, was also carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it cannot verify the claim, adding there is "no value" in responding to it.
Tensions along the inter-Korean border have escalated in recent weeks. North Korea has officially designated South Korea as a "hostile state," in line with leader Kim Jong-un's directive to regard the South as an enemy rather than a partner for reconciliation and unification. (Yonhap)
