Investigators in South Korea have raided the country’s spy agency and military intelligence units as part of a widening probe into whether government-linked drones were flown into North Korea earlier this year.
A joint military–police task force searched 18 locations on Tuesday, including the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Defence Intelligence Command, as authorities investigated three active-duty soldiers and one NIS employee for possible involvement in the incident.
North Korea accused Seoul in January of sending a drone into the border city of Kaesong, releasing images it said showed wreckage from the downed aircraft.
South Korea initially denied state involvement, with President Lee Jae-myung warning that such an act would be tantamount to “firing a shot into the North.”
But investigators now say they are examining whether the drone operation had official backing.
“The task force will thoroughly establish the truth behind the drone incident through analysis of seized materials and a rigorous investigation of the suspects,” it said in a statement.
Three civilians have already been charged over the affair, one of whom has publicly claimed responsibility, saying he flew the drone to monitor radiation levels near North Korea’s Pyongsan uranium processing facility.
The case has also revived scrutiny of former president Yoon Suk-yeol, who is standing trial on charges he illegally ordered drones to be sent into North Korea in late 2024 to provoke a response that could justify declaring martial law. Yoon was impeached and removed from office last year after his failed bid to overturn civilian rule.
Provocation and propaganda
Prosecutors allege Yoon instructed the military to fly drones over Pyongyang and drop anti-North leaflets, conspiring to create conditions for emergency rule.
North Korea has repeatedly claimed the South used drones to scatter propaganda over its capital.
President Lee has since sought to dial down tensions, including dismantling propaganda loudspeakers along the border, while acknowledging he felt an apology to Pyongyang might be warranted — though politically fraught.
The investigation unfolds against heightened regional unease, as North Korea accelerates its drone programme and the two Koreas trade accusations of covert provocations.
