Unable to repel North Korean drones after 5-hour jet and helicopter chase, South Korean military admits weakness

SEOUL, KOMPAS.com – The South Korean Army (ROK) has apologized for not shooting down five North Korean drones (North Korea) which crossed the border on Monday (26/12/2022) even approached the capital Seoul.

Seoul fired warning shots and sent attack jets and helicopters to shoot down Kim Jong Un’s drones, one of which flew near the capital.

Despite a five-hour chase, the drones all reportedly returned to North Korea.

President of South Korea he said the incident demonstrated the military’s “gross lack of preparedness”.

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South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says its military can counter “strike drones that pose a real threat” but admits it is limited in its ability to detect and attack smaller spy drones.

“Our lack of military preparedness has caused society a lot of concern,” admitted Kang Shin-chul, a senior official representing the main branch of the South Korean military, in a statement on Tuesday (12/27/2022) reported by the BBC.

He added that the military would be “actively using tracking devices to locate drone the enemy at an early stage and aggressively deploy attack assets”.

Corresponding BBC in Seoul, Jean Mackenzie said the failure was worrying. That’s because drones flying near Seoul have the potential to carry out surveillance operations and photograph sensitive areas.

Read also: The South Korean president condemns North Korean drones and promises to create his own drone unit

In a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (12/27/2022), President Yoon Suk-yeol said he will accelerate the formation of a military unit equipped with the latest stealth drones to monitor North Korean military facilities, in response to the incident on Monday (26/12/2022) .

He also blamed his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, for “dangerous” North Korean policies. He highlighted the 2018 inter-Korean military pact that banned hostile activities in border areas.

Monday’s attack was the first time in five years that North Korean drones entered South Korean airspace.

The incident also comes amid rising tensions on the peninsula, with North Korea carrying out a series of missile tests this year.

Local media reported that there was a possible sighting of another drone in South Korea on Tuesday (27/12/2022), but the defense ministry said it was a flock of birds.

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Earlier this month, North Korea said it had carried out major tests needed to help it develop its first spy satellite.

Pyongyang says it can be used to monitor South Korea. North Korea has even released aerial photos of Seoul, which it says were taken during the test.

Experts believe North Korea is working to refine and improve its weapons as it presses the United States to ease sanctions in future negotiations.

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