<Anchor>



Five North Korean drones have invaded our airspace.

One of these reached the skies north of Seoul.

It is the first time in 5 years that a North Korean drone has invaded our airspace.



Ahn Jung-sik, a reporter specializing in North Korea, reports.



<Reporter>



It was around 10:25 am yesterday (26th) that North Korean drones were detected in Gyeonggi-do.



After capturing five North Korean drones in the area north of the Military Demarcation Line in front of Gimpo, the military authorities conducted warning broadcasts and warning shots several times.



However, the North Korean drones did not return, and one came down to the northern part of Seoul and four to Ganghwa Island.



It has been five years since June 2017 that a North Korean drone has invaded our airspace.



[Lee Seung-oh/Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Department: This is an obvious provocative act by North Korea invading our airspace.]



North Korean drones are known to be small under 2m, and some fly low enough to be identified with the naked eye.



The military responded by sending fighter jets and attack helicopters, but said it did not shoot them down for fear of damage to our private homes.



Instead, it said that it took corresponding measures, such as sending manned and unmanned reconnaissance assets to the area north of the Military Demarcation Line and photographing major military facilities in North Korea.



One of the North Korean drones was confirmed to have returned to North Korea, and the remaining four were lost and are being analyzed.



In the process of responding to the North Korean drone provocation and the South Korean military, the operation of civil aircraft was temporarily suspended.



At Gimpo Airport and Incheon Airport, take-offs were suspended for about an hour from around 1:00 noon yesterday.