Yoon dismisses North Korea’s drone incursion claims

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday struck down claims raised by North Korea that South Korean uncrewed aerial vehicles had entered its skies.

“It’s not worth responding to these claims when it is North Korea that is in the wrong,” he said.

The president’s remarks came in response to a question from a reporter during a press conference held at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul.

“North Korean drones have crossed the border into our skies 10 times already. North Korea sent more than 7,000 balloons loaded with filth and trash to our country and jammed our GPS,” he said.

“Under such circumstances, North Korea is coming up with such false claims.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong claimed last month that the South Korean military was behind the drone trespassing into the skies over Pyongyang. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has refused to comment on the claims.

Yoon said that based on how deeply North Korea engages with Russia in the war, he would not rule out sending weapons to Ukraine.

“Depending on the degree of North Korea’s involvement, we will be changing the way we respond step by step, from a humanitarian perspective,” he said. “If we do provide weapons, it would be defensive weapons first.”

He noted that South Korea, too, had received help from the international community in the past in its time of need.

“So it is natural for us to help a country that is suffering from an illegal invasion by another country,” he said. “Only now there is another variable at play, which is North Korea.”

The president said that transfers of military technology from Russia to North Korea “could pose a significant threat to our country.” “As North Korean special forces gain experience in modern warfare, this could also be a significant problem for our security,” he said.

The National Intelligence Service believes North Korea could send up to 10,900 troops to join Russia in its fight against Ukraine by the end of the year.