The premises of the South Korean intelligence services in Seoul were searched on Tuesday February 10, announced a joint police-military investigation group which is investigating the unauthorized sending of a drone over North Korea in early January.
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North Korea announced last month that it had shot down a drone equipped with “surveillance equipment” near the town of Kaesong, a few kilometers from the ultra-militarized border with South Korea. The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-unKim Yo-jong, had demanded a “ detailed explanation » from Seoul on the incident.
Photos published by the official North Korean agency KCNA showed the wreckage of the drone and gray and blue components presented as camera debris. The North Korean army claimed that the device had taken images of “ important targets » in border areas. KCNA also accused South Korea of sending a similar drone in September over Kaesong, saying the craft crashed after being neutralized by electronic jamming.
Three civilians charged
The South Korean army had claimed to have nothing to do with these drones belonging to an over-the-counter model that it does not use. Seoul initially suggested that civilians had organized these operations over the North. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung had denounced the incident, stressing that this type of initiative risked triggering an armed confrontation between the two states which never signed a peace treaty following the Korean War (1950-1953).
Three civilians have been charged for their alleged role in this matter. One of them publicly claimed responsibility, claiming to have flown the device to measure levels of radiation and heavy metal contamination around the Pyongsan uranium processing plant in North Korea.
But South Korean authorities announced Tuesday that they were also investigating three soldiers and an intelligence service employee suspected of being involved. Investigators from a joint army-police task force searched “18 locations” on Tuesday, including the Military Intelligence Command and the National Intelligence Service, according to a statement.
« The task force announced that it would thoroughly establish the truth behind the drone incident through analysis of seized materials and rigorous investigation of suspects », adds the text.
date: 2026-02-10 17:17:00