Former South Korean Defence Minister Allegedly Ordered Drone Operations Over Pyongyang in October: Lawmaker
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Seoul, Dec 9 (NationPress) In October, the South Korean military dispatched drones over Pyongyang under the direction of then Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is presently being investigated for his role in the martial law declaration, as stated by a lawmaker on Monday.
Rep. Park Beom-kye of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) cited information sourced from within the military, asserting that these alleged drone missions could have been part of the groundwork for President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.
Park mentioned, "The Defence Counterintelligence Command, where former commander Yeo In-hyung -- a senior to Kim from the same high school -- was stationed, appears to have orchestrated the drone operations."
The lawmaker further alleged that the initiative might have been linked to the preparations for the martial law decree.
In mid-October, North Korea claimed to have detected unmanned aerial vehicles dispatched to Pyongyang by South Korea and issued a warning of retaliation should such actions occur again.
During that period, the South Korean military declined to confirm the operation.
Kim resigned from his position as defence minister last week due to his involvement in Yoon's martial law imposition, which was revoked shortly after a parliamentary disapproval. He has since been placed under emergency arrest on treason charges.
Yeo also faced suspension from his duties due to alleged participation in the matter.
The DP lawmaker raised concerns that Kim displayed anger when North Korea sent trash balloons over the border to the South, criticizing his military for not firing warning shots at the North.
This indicates that Kim may have attempted to incite a localized conflict with North Korea.
