▲ This photo provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff shows military and other personnel gathered for the launch ceremony of South Korea's Drone Operations Command, in Pocheon, about 40 kilometers north of Seoul, on Sept. 1, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

defense ministry-drone probe

Probe under way over alleged irregular drone acquisition linked to Yoon's martial law bid

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry is investigating how the drones sent into North Korea ahead of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law attempt were brought into service, amid allegations of irregularities in the process, an official said Friday.

The ministry has launched a joint internal probe with the state arms procurement agency into how drones were sent into Pyongyang in October 2024, weeks before the former president's Dec. 3 martial law attempt, a ministry official said.

The drone incursion issue has been at the center of allegations surrounding the martial law case amid suspicion that they were sent across the border to incite the North's provocations in a bid to use it as a pretext for the martial law imposition.

"A joint internal audit is currently under way with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) at the request of the National Assembly," the official told reporters.

"I am limited in providing specific details as they could affect the fairness of the audit and the ongoing investigation," she said.

The ministry and DAPA are reportedly looking into how the Drone Operations Command acquired the drones for the infiltration mission into Pyongyang.

Allegations have emerged that the drones used in the mission were brought into service without going through standard procedures typically required for acquisition programs, including the military's formal submission of its request for the procurement.

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