Rep. Park Beom-kye of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea / Yonhap
The South Korean military flew drones over Pyongyang in October at the order of then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is currently under investigation for his involvement in the martial law declaration, a lawmaker said Monday.
Citing a tip-off from within the military, Rep. Park Beom-kye of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) made the claim, saying that the alleged drone infiltrations may have been part of preparations for President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration.
"The Defense Counterintelligence Command, where former commander Yeo In-hyung — a junior to Kim at the same high school — was posted, appears to have planned" the drone dispatch, Park said.
The lawmaker claimed that the project might have been part of preparations for the martial law decree.
In mid-October, North Korea claimed to have discovered unmanned aerial vehicles sent to Pyongyang by South Korea, warning of retaliation if such actions were repeated.
Col. Lee Sung-joon, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said in a regular briefing that the military had nothing to confirm over the latest accusation, maintaining its stance to not confirm the alleged incident in October.
JCS Chairman Kim Myung-soo inspects military readiness and monitors the North Korean territory at the 22nd Division OP (Observation Post), Nov. 9. Yonhap
Kim stepped down as defense minister last week over his involvement in Yoon's imposition of martial law, which was lifted several hours later after a parliamentary rejection. He has since been placed under emergency arrest for investigation on treason charges.
Yeo also had his duties suspended for alleged involvement.
The DPK lawmaker also raised suspicions that Kim erupted in rage when North Korea sent trash balloons across the border to the South, accusing his military of not firing warning shots toward the North.
He said this suggests that Kim might have tried to provoke a localized conflict with the North.
Local media earlier reported that JCS Chairman Kim Myung-soo refused to follow orders from the former defense minister for the military to strike the origin of North Korea's trash-balloon launches.
The JCS spokesperson rejected the reports, noting the military was never ordered to conduct such strikes to instigate a possible military clash with North Korea.
Since late May, the North has launched thousands of trash-carrying balloons into South Korea in a tit-for-tat move against North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea sending leaflets critical of the North Korean regime across the border. (Yonhap)
