Seoul: The defense ministry announced its decision to tentatively suspend the budget execution for the Drone Operations Command, citing performance issues with drones set for deployment to North Korea under former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration in 2024.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the command had allocated 1.34 billion won (approximately US$915,500) to acquire 24 additional small reconnaissance drones this year. Concerns have been raised about these drones' capabilities, as detailed in a report submitted to Rep. Boo Seung-chan of the ruling Democratic Party. The drones, produced by the state-run Agency for Defense Development in 2023, reportedly are prone to detection by enemy radar and produce high noise levels during flight.
Despite these concerns, the drone command maintained that the drones met the necessary standards for launch at the time, with the budget for the project prearranged according to a mid-term defense plan. Speculation suggests that the command might have used these underperforming drones in operations in October 2024 to provoke North Korea deliberately, potentially providing Yoon a reason for his martial law declaration on December 3 of that year.
In response to these revelations, the defense ministry stated it would temporarily halt the budget execution for the command. Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna mentioned during a press briefing, "We plan to review the necessity of the project and reallocate the assigned budget to operational units carrying out the missions, once the command's mission and function undergoes adjustment."
Last month, a special advisory committee focused on military reform recommended the abolition of the drone operations command, citing overlapping functions with other military branches.