South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Wednesday that North Korea’s infiltration of drones into South Korean territory is «completely unacceptable,» urging Pyongyang to realize that its provocations will have «harsh consequences.»
For Yoon, it is vital for South Korea to prepare for war «with overwhelming superiority» as a way to achieve peace, stressing the importance of the country’s military becoming «a strong and unshakable army that instills fear and generates firm confidence in the people,» Yonhap news agency reported.
That is why the president has ordered to re-examine the general response system for all flying objects that invade South Korea’s airspace, after this happened with five North Korean drones last Tuesday.
Yoon had previously reprimanded his defense minister, Lee Jong Sup, for the incursion of North Korean drones into South Korean territory, after the country’s military failed to shoot down the aircraft at first.
«How can there be no one preparing against drone strikes from North Korea? There were many similar incidents in the past, so what have you been doing so far?», Yoon spat against Lee during a meeting on Tuesday, a government official has detailed to the cited agency.
«Are you saying there was no proper training and you did nothing?» the South Korean president added during the meeting.
According to information gathered by Yonhap, South Korean forces sent drones to the border area in response, some of which entered North Korean territory to carry out surveillance operations, including photography of «key enemy military facilities.»
The event is the first of its kind since 2017, although between 2014 and 2017 Seoul denounced numerous drone overflight operations by North Korea and already warned of the military threat posed by these devices, both to perpetrate attacks and in espionage operations.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula following Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile firings, including two short-range ones launched during the day on Friday.
U.S. and South Korean officials agreed last week to conduct «realistic» joint military exercises, especially in the face of missile or nuclear attack scenarios by North Korea. The South Korean Defense Ministry stressed that the parties also plan to expand their joint exercises next year following a meeting between senior defense officials from both countries.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
