S. Korea’s Yoon orders revamp of response to violations of country’s air space
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Five North Korean drones crossed into South Korea on Dec 26, 2022.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
SEOUL - South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered a revamp of the military’s response to objects violating its airspace, his office said on Thursday, after an intrusion by North Korean drones exposed its difficulty in shooting down small aircraft.
Five North Korean drones crossed into South Korea on Monday, prompting South Korea’s military to scramble fighter jets and attack helicopters, though it failed to bring down the drones, which flew over South Korea for hours.
Amid criticism over South Korea’s air defences at a time of North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats,
“North Korean drones’ intrusion of our airspace is an intolerable incident,” Mr Yoon said. “We should let them learn that provocations are always met by harsh consequences.”
Mr Yoon has slammed the military’s handling of Monday’s incursion,
The military apologised for its response, and said it could not shoot down the drones because they were too small.
“There can be no military that does not think of and prepare for war. For us to achieve peace, we need to prepare for war with overwhelming superiority,” the president said, adding that the South’s defence procurement strategy should also be reviewed in line with the North’s weapons advances.
“As we saw in the war in Ukraine, asymmetric power has become a very important factor in the war,” Mr Yoon said. “In response to North Korea, which is trying to strengthen its asymmetric force, it is necessary for us to reexamine the reinforcement plan for existing military power.”
On Thursday, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the country’s military would hold drone-focused exercises.
“Our military will conduct joint air defence drills...simulating response to enemy’s small-sized unmanned aircraft,” a JCS spokesman told a regular briefing. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
