South Korea Fires Warn Shots Following North Korean Drone Invasion

South Korea accused the North of flying several drones across their shared border, prompting Seoul's military to dispatch warplanes to shoot them down – one of the planes later crashed, according to local media.

The incursion was the first time North Korean drones had entered South Korean airspace in years and it came on the heels of Pyongyang's recent flurry of sanctions-busting weapons tests.

The South Korean military first detected a suspected North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle around the airspace of Gimpo at 10:25 a.m. (local time) and “responded immediately,” according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

“This is a clear act of provocation on the part of North Korea,” a JCS official told reporters.

Seoul responded by firing warning shots and deploying fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the five drones, one of which had entered airspace near the capital.

According to Yonhap, one of the warplanes, a KA-1 light attack aircraft, later crashed in Hoengseong County.

The military did not say whether the objects were shot down or returned across the border, one of the most heavily fortified in the world.

The South Korean military also deployed its own manned and unmanned reconnaissance assets to areas near and north of the Military Demarcation Line for “corresponding measures.”

A JCS official explained that we carried out reconnaissance and operational activities, including photographing major enemy military facilities.

“Our military will continue to respond thoroughly and resolutely to such North Korean provocations, he added.

Flights were temporarily halted at Gimpo and Incheon international airports, the country's two major hubs, at the request of the JCS, according to Yonhap, which cited a transport ministry official.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the incident was the first time South Korean flights were halted due to “the appearance of North Korean drones,” adding that they were most likely used for spying.

“Given North Korea's low level of drone development, there's little chance they have the drone attack capabilities used in modern warfare,” he adds.

Officials said that they came over to our area for reconnaissance training during the recent winter training.