Conflicts & War

Seoul scrambles jets as suspected North Korean drones enter airspace

Seoul, Dec 26 (EFE).- South Korea scrambled fighter jets and helicopters on Monday after two suspected North Korean drones entered the country’s airspace, military authorities said.

A spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the objects were detected in the border area of Gyeonggi-do province at 10.25 am local time, home of the capital Seoul, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The apparent incursion into South Korea’s airspace prompted the transport ministry to halt flights at airports in Seoul, Gimpo and Incheon.

The alleged drones were detected in Gimpo, Paju and the island of Ganghwa, which are all located near the border with North Korea.

South Korean fighter jets and helicopters were sent in a bid to shoot down the suspected drones. It was unclear whether the drones were armed.

One of the aircraft sent in response to the supposed drone incursion, a KA-1 light attack aircraft, crashed in Hoengsong, some 140 kilometers to the east of Seoul, for unknown reasons. Both pilots survived, Yonhap reported.

The alleged use of drones by North Korea comes at a moment of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula amid a record number of missile tests by Pyongyang this year and joint military drills held by South Korea and the United States. EFE

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