N.Korean Drone Found Near Border

A small drone presumed to be North Korean was found on a mountain in Inje, Gangwon Province last Friday.

"Investigators rushed to the scene after receiving a report from a citizen about a small aerial vehicle," the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said. "We found that it was similar in size and shape to a North Korean drone discovered on Baeknyeong Island in March 2014."

The drone is sky-blue and has a 1.8 m fuselage with a 2.4 m wingspan, according to the JCS. It was probably filming South Korean military facilities with the built-in camera when it crashed.

Military authorities are trying to track its flight, believing that it possibly crossed the military demarcation line in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province on May 23 by hiding among propaganda balloons.

At the time, the South Korean military detected an unidentified flying object on radar and fired hundreds of warning shots.

In March and April 2014, North Korean drones were also found in Paju, Gyeonggi Province and Samcheok, Gangwon Province.

Sending drones is a violation of the armistice agreement as it is an intrusion into South Korean airspace.

Small North Korean drones flew into South Korea across the MDL in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province five times during a military standoff after a North Korean land mine attack in the DMZ in August 2015.

In January last year, a North Korean drone crossed the MDL in Munsan, Gyeonggi Province, but turned back after warning shots from the South Korean military.

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