Seoul: Investigators have referred three civilian suspects to prosecutors on charges of involvement in drone flights into North Korea, following the arrest of one of the suspects last week. The joint team of police and military investigators sent the case to the prosecution on charges of benefiting the enemy, and violating laws on aviation safety and military installation protection.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the suspects include a graduate student in his 30s and two others who worked at a drone startup. They are accused of flying drones into North Korea four times -- once last September, twice last November, and once in January this year. The joint investigation was launched shortly after North Korea's accusations earlier this year that South Korea infringed on its sovereignty with drone incursions in September and in January.
Police believe the drones were programmed to fly from Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul, traveling over North Korea's border city of Kaesong and the central county of Pyongsan, before returning to the South's northern city of Paju. The suspects also allegedly took unauthorized photos of a South Korean Marine Corps base during the flights.
The suspects reportedly colluded since 2024 to develop a drone that would evade detection by South and North Korean low-altitude air defenses. These flights allegedly exposed military information to North Korea and compromised South Korea's military interests. Last Thursday, a court issued an arrest warrant for the graduate student, surnamed Oh, citing risks of flight and evidence destruction. The other two suspects have been referred to the prosecution without detention.
The investigation revealed that the three conducted test drone flights eight times around Yeoju, some 60 kilometers southeast of Seoul, between last June and November. Oh and another suspect, surnamed Jang, attended the same university and worked at the presidential spokesperson's office under former President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022. They later established the startup with university support in 2024.
Police are also investigating others connected to Oh, including a National Intelligence Service official who allegedly conducted cash transactions with him. Additionally, authorities are probing alleged connections between the Defense Intelligence Command and online media outlets operated by Oh.