SEOUL: Korean military on Tuesday apologized for not being able to shoot down 5 planes North South Korean drones have crossed their shared border after drawing widespread criticism for their lack of readiness.
Monday’s intrusion prompted Seoul to fire warning shots and deploy fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the drones, one of which flew near the capital.
“Yesterday, five enemy drones violated South Korean airspace, and our military detected and tracked them, but we apologize for not being able to shoot them down,” the statement said. write. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
All of the drones appear to have returned to the North despite a five-hour hunt for them.
The JCS concedes that, while the military may be able to counter “attack drones that pose a real threat,” its ability to detect and attack smaller surveillance drones is not. They also have limits.
“As a result, the military’s lack of readiness has caused a great deal of concern to the public,” it said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a Room Tuesday’s meeting, the incident showed that the military’s readiness was “very much lacking”.
Yoon ordered the speeding up of plans to deploy a unit of unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance operations over the country. North KoreaKey military facilities of the Plan include the introduction of advanced stealth drones.
It was the first time in years that a North Korean drone had entered South Korean airspace and followed a series of recent sanctions-breaking weapons tests by Pyongyang.
Monday’s intrusion prompted Seoul to fire warning shots and deploy fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the drones, one of which flew near the capital.
“Yesterday, five enemy drones violated South Korean airspace, and our military detected and tracked them, but we apologize for not being able to shoot them down,” the statement said. write. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
All of the drones appear to have returned to the North despite a five-hour hunt for them.
The JCS concedes that, while the military may be able to counter “attack drones that pose a real threat,” its ability to detect and attack smaller surveillance drones is not. They also have limits.
“As a result, the military’s lack of readiness has caused a great deal of concern to the public,” it said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a Room Tuesday’s meeting, the incident showed that the military’s readiness was “very much lacking”.
Yoon ordered the speeding up of plans to deploy a unit of unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance operations over the country. North KoreaKey military facilities of the Plan include the introduction of advanced stealth drones.
It was the first time in years that a North Korean drone had entered South Korean airspace and followed a series of recent sanctions-breaking weapons tests by Pyongyang.
