South Korea says civilians sent drones to the North

South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Wednesday that three civilians had sent drones to ⁠North Korea on four occasions since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year, harming inter-Korean ties.



The trio flew the aircraft between September 2025 and January, Chung said, citing an ongoing investigation by police and the military.



Drones crashed on two occasions in North Korea, in line with claims made by Pyongyang.



On two other attempts the drones returned to Paju, a border settlement in South Korea, after flying over Kaesong, a city in North Korea.



South Korean authorities were investigating the three civilians on suspicion of violating the aviation safety act and breaching criminal law by benefiting the enemy.



Some officials at South Korea's military intelligence agency and the National Intelligence Service were also under investigation for alleged involvement with he trio



North Korea has reacted angrily, saying last month that drones from South Korea entered its airspace, after another intrusion in September.