Tensions soar as North Korea accuses South of drone incursions
The sister of North Korea's leader, Kim Yo-jong, accused South Korea on Tuesday of violating Pyongyang's airspace with drones. She stated that Pyongyang has "clear evidence" of the South Korean military's guilt and threatened to "turn South Korea to ashes" if drones appear again. Seoul denies these accusations.
3:11 PM EDT, October 15, 2024
North Korea claims the drone incident over the nation's capital resulted from actions by South Korea.
"We know that the main culprit for the drone incident in Pyongyang is the South Korean military rabble," Kim said in a statement relayed via the state news agency KCNA. According to Kim, the North Korean authorities have evidence that the drones belonged to their southern neighbor's armed forces.
Seoul denies the accusations
Despite these strong accusations, the South Korean agency Yonhap highlighted that Kim Yo-jong has not provided any specific evidence to support her claims.
Authorities from Seoul also emphasize that the drones visible in the photos and recordings "do not clearly appear" to be from South Korea.
Whose drones are they?
Lee Kun-wan, head of the Defense Development Agency, in a conversation with the "Korean Herald," questioned the North Korean allegations. "They are shaped like unmanned aerial vehicles that North Korea sent to the South in 2014 and (models) Sky-09 UAV, used in the North. Therefore, it's hard to say which one it is," Lee said during a parliamentary session while answering questions from deputies. He also added that there are "similarly-looking machines on the market, both commercially and military-developed".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, in another statement, accused South Korea of "infiltrating" Pyongyang's airspace using drones that allegedly distributed leaflets with propaganda aimed against the regime. North Korean authorities report that these activities occurred on October 3, 9, and 10. The ministry also warned Seoul of possible retaliation if such actions continue. As reported by The Independent, Pyongyang has threatened to "turn South Korea to ashes if the drone situation repeats."
North Korea takes drastic steps by destroying roads to the South
On Tuesday, North Korean authorities blew up sections of roads connecting both Koreas on their side of the border. This was reported by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff in a brief statement. The promise made at the beginning of the year by the Korean dictator was thus fulfilled.
These roads had not been used for a long time. They were renovated during a period of moderate rapprochement between Seoul and Pyongyang after the inter-Korean summit in 2000.
