▲ This Dec. 29, 2022, file photo shows Rep. Kim Byung-joo (L) of the main opposition Democratic Party at the National Assembly in western Seoul holding an image of a map that shows the identified flight paths of North Korean drones that intruded into South Korea's airspace. (Yonhap)

main opposition-NK drone

Main opposition bristles at conspiracy theory over N.K. drone infiltration

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Friday accused the government of raising a conspiracy theory that a DP lawmaker secretly communicated with North Korea to learn about one of its drones penetrating the no-fly zone around the presidential office.

On Thursday, the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol told reporters it is suspicious how Rep. Kim Byung-joo earlier raised the possibility of one of the five North Korean drones that intruded into South Korea's airspace flying over the central Seoul area on Dec. 26.

Earlier that day, the military belatedly confirmed that a North Korean drone penetrated the no-fly zone around the presidential office in Yongsan, reversing its previous announcement that there was no such incident.

The shift in its formal position on the sensitive matter came as relevant authorities gained more information during an ongoing inspection by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) over the botched operation against the North's drones.

"We will not sit idle if the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol and the military continue with their ridiculous conspiracy theory," DP floor leader Park Hong-geun said in a party meeting.

Park also called on the defense minister and the JCS to apologize for initially giving a false report.

Kim, a former Army general, said he found out about the penetration of the no-fly zone by checking Google Maps, and any Seoul citizen can do that.

Kim also noted it was a "complete failure" of an operation to protect the presidential office and the office is not in a place where it can be properly protected by a military stronghold for air defense because it is surrounded by privately owned buildings.

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