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North Korea has recently requested an explanation and an apology from South Korea regarding an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is said to have entered its airspace following takeoff from the South. As part of this matter, a joint military-police investigative task force (TF) questioned individual A, who is suspected of creating the UAV, on the 16th.

A law enforcement representative said, “We are currently in the process of confirming details before deciding on potential criminal charges. The decision on whether to pursue charges like an infraction of the Aviation Security Act will be made following the investigation.”

North Korea asserted on the 10th that it had shot down drones that South Korea had sent into the Kaesong region in September of the previous year and again on the 4th of this month. President Lee Jae-myung instructed an investigation, saying, “If this is accurate, it constitutes a serious offense that endangers peace on the Korean Peninsula and national security.” In reaction, the National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation established a joint investigative task force consisting of police and military personnel on the 12th. Four days later, they summoned and interrogated a suspect.

In other related updates, B, a man in his 30s and a graduate student, stated in an interview on Channel A on the same day that he sent the UAV to North Korea. During the interview, B claimed that he had launched the UAV three times since last September and that the blue UAV revealed by North Korea was concealed by him. He mentioned that the individual questioned by the police was a friend. According to B, this friend bought the UAV frame from a Chinese online marketplace, modified it in the initial version, and B installed a camera to deploy it. He further explained that the UAV was programmed to return within six hours but did not do so on two occasions.

Concerning his reason for deploying the UAV, B mentioned that he aimed to directly check radiation levels close to a uranium facility in the Yesong River region by using a drone to film the area. He asserted that the exterior, paint color, and designs of the UAV revealed by North Korea corresponded to his alterations and provided proof. He also shared video footage of Pyeongsan County, North Korea, supposedly taken during the three UAV flights. B stated, “I did not film our military. I believed it was permissible to launch the UAV because I had a justification.”

It is reported that the police intend to call B soon in order to confirm the validity of his statements. B is said to have served as a contract worker in the Spokesperson’s Office of the Presidential Office under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.