North Korea has been repeatedly claiming that the drone recently spotted in Pyongyang airspace was flown by South Korea, but our military continues to maintain the position that it cannot confirm this. There are speculations about the possibility of it being flown by civilians and North Korea staging a drama.
Kim Tae-hoon, a defense specialist, provides analysis.
The drone that North Korea claimed to have captured in Pyongyang airspace in the released photos has a large main wing and no visible tail wing.
North Korea claimed that it is a drone that requires a launch pad or runway for takeoff and cannot be flown by civilians.
This is a small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle unveiled by our military drone command on Army Day, October 1st.
With a body length of 1.7m and a main wing width of 2.8m, it has a similar shape to the drone captured in Pyongyang.
However, long-distance drones of this type can also be made by private companies.
They take off using a separate launch pad and land using a parachute.
[Civilian drone manufacturing company official: If you use an engine, it can fly for 3 hours, and if it is well-made and light, it can fly for 3-4 hours. The total flying range will be around 350km back and forth.]
However, domestic pro-North Korean organizations that have been flying leaflets to North Korea have distanced themselves from this incident.
The leaflet released by North Korea mentions Kim Jong-un’s luxury watch and Kim Ju-ae’s luxury coat, stating that the economic situation in North Korea is plunging into hell. The content and expression of the leaflet are more refined than those of previous pro-North Korean organizations.
Traces of 3D-printed leaflet containers show that North Korea may be making its own leaflets, leaflet containers, and drones, leading to speculation that it is a self-staged drama.
A key military official said, “If there are no evidence of detection and tracking, North Korea’s claim that the drone came from South Korea loses credibility, as it should have been detected and tracked from the ceasefire line to capture the drone in Pyongyang airspace.”
(Video reporting: Jo Choon-dong, Video editing: Hwang Ji-young)