The North Korean Defense Ministry has accused the South Korean military of launching drones into its territory for political purposes, calling it a violation of the country's sovereignty, state media KCNA reported on Monday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
The ministry announced the final results of its investigation after claiming that South Korean drones had flown over Pyongyang at least three times this month to distribute "anti-North" leaflets. KCNA also published photos of a South Korean military drone that crashed.
During the analysis of the drone's flight control program, the North Korean authorities stated that they had found more than 230 flight plans and logs since June 2023, including a plan to scatter "political motivational garbage.
A recording from October 8 showed that the drone took off from the southern border island of Penyeong-do late in the evening and within hours released leaflets over the buildings of the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry in Pyongyang.
A North Korean official warned that the country will respond with a "merciless offensive" if this happens again, KCNA reports.
Addendum
Seoul and Washington have said that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, which could mean a significant escalation of the conflict. Pyongyang said on Friday that any action to send its troops to help Russia would be in line with international law.
On October 28, the South Korean delegation will present to NATO information on the deployment of DPRK troops in Russia.