A spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) issued a strongly worded press statement condemning the Republic of Korea (ROK, or South Korea) for what it described as a grave violation of DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea) sovereignty through drone infiltration. The statement, released via the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), follows a pattern of similar accusations and comes amid ongoing inter-Korean tensions.
The statement highlights a recent incident on January 4, 2026, when KPA border air surveillance units detected an aerial target moving northward from the area of Hado-ri, Songhae-myon, Kanghwa County, Incheon City, in South Korea. According to the KPA, the drone was allowed to penetrate approximately 8 km into DPRK airspace before being disabled using special electronic warfare assets, causing it to crash about 1,200 meters from Height 101.5 in Muksan-ri, Kaephung District, Kaesong Municipality.
The downed drone was equipped with surveillance devices. DPRK intelligence and investigation organs recovered the wreckage and analyzed its flight plan, history, and recorded imagery. The analysis reportedly showed that the drone took off around 12:50 on January 4 from an area in Kanghwa County, Incheon, and was programmed to record major DPRK sites. It flew a total distance of 156 km at altitudes of 100–300 meters and a speed of about 50 km/h over a duration of three hours and ten minutes. The flight path allegedly took it through Kaephung District in Kaesong Municipality, as well as areas in Phyongsan and Kumchon counties of North Hwanghae Province, before heading back toward Joksong-myon, Phaju City, in South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province via Kaephung, Phanmun districts, and Jangphung County.
The drone’s two cameras captured approximately 6 minutes and 59 seconds, and 6 minutes and 58 seconds, respectively, of video footage of DPRK territory, which the statement presents as clear evidence of reconnaissance and surveillance activities.
The spokesman also referenced a prior incident on September 27, 2025, where another drone reportedly took off from Joksong-myon, Phaju City, at around 11:15 and was downed by electronic means from the KPA’s 2nd Corps, crashing in a paddy field in Sasi-ri, Jangphung County, Kaesong Municipality, at around 14:25. That drone allegedly flew 167 km at 300 meters altitude for three hours and twenty minutes, targeting sites including areas in Phyongsan County, Mt. Janam in Kaesong, Panmunjom, the former Kaesong Industrial Zone, and nearby military posts. It carried 5 hours and 47 minutes of video data.
Both drones were described as small fixed-wing models capable of low-altitude flight (under 500 meters) for up to six hours, equipped with high-resolution optical cameras for ground imaging. The statement argues that their communication, navigation, flight plans, and recorded data confirm they were purpose-built for aerial reconnaissance. It notes that the drones operated in daytime from restricted frontline areas in the South, passing through zones heavily monitored by South Korean radars and anti-drone systems, suggesting official involvement.
The statement criticizes the South Korean authorities for continuing such actions even after a change in leadership in Seoul, describing the ROK as a “group of hooligans” and “the enemy most hostile” toward the DPRK, whose nature cannot change. It draws a comparison to “Kiev’s lunatics” and accuses Seoul of duplicity in calling for dialogue while conducting provocations.
The KPA spokesman strongly denounced the actions as serial encroachments on DPRK sovereignty and issued a serious warning, stating that the ROK must be prepared to pay a high price for these provocations. It called on the international community to recognize the root cause of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and urged the ROK to immediately cease such activities to avoid inviting its own destruction. The statement concludes that the ROK authorities cannot evade responsibility for escalating tensions.
This accusation follows earlier claims, including a reported drone violation over Pyongyang in October 2024, and comes at a time when inter-Korean relations remain strained despite occasional public overtures for communication from the South. South Korean officials have denied operating drones on the specified dates, according to reports from international media.
