S.Korean military confirms N.Korean drone breached no-fly zone around presidential office

ANKARA (AA) - A North Korean drone briefly breached a no-fly zone around the presidential office in Seoul last month, a military official belatedly acknowledged on Thursday.

The South Korean military that earlier rejected the reports of drone penetration into the no-fly zone, has now confirmed and said the North Korean drone briefly entered a 3.7-kilometer (2.3-mile) radius no-fly zone around the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul last month, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"It briefly flew into the northern edge of the zone, but it did not come close to key security facilities," the agency quoted an unnamed military official as saying.

The drone was among five unmanned aerial vehicles that crossed the border into the South on Dec. 26, prompting Seoul to scramble jets and fire warning shots in response.

Two major airports were shut down by South Korea as the drones crossed the Military Demarcation Line, which separates the two Koreas, and were spotted flying in areas in Gimpo, Ganghwa Island, and Paju.

Seoul acknowledged “limits in detecting and striking small surveillance drones” as the South Korean military publicly apologized over the major security issue.

On Wednesday, President Yoon warned to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement with North Korea if it again violates the country's borders.

He was referring to a 2018 agreement between the two countries, which created buffer zones along land and sea boundaries and no-fly zones above the border.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid