Drones being flown into North Korea by civilians are harming inter-Korean relations, a South Korean minister has said.
Chung Dong-young claimed three civilians had sent drones to the secretive state on four occasions since Lee Jae Myung became South Korea‘s president last June.
The suspects flew the aircraft between September 2025 and January this year, according to Mr Chung, as police and the military investigate.
The unification minister said drones crashed two times in the North, in line with claims made by Pyongyang.
On two other attempts, the drones returned to Paju, a border settlement in South Korea, after flying over Kaesong, a city in North Korea, Mr Chung said on Wednesday.
Authorities in the South were investigating the three civilians on suspicion of violating the aviation safety act and breaching criminal law by benefiting the enemy, he continued.
Some officials at South Korea’s military intelligence agency and the national intelligence service were also under investigation for alleged involvement with the trio, Mr Chung added.
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“We express official regret to the North,” he said, and stated the government was taking the drone incursion incidents very seriously.
South Korea’s government plans to strengthen penalties for sending drones to the North, Mr Chung said, including up to a one-year jail term or a 10 million won (£5,100) fine.
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Pyongyang hits out
North Korea has reacted angrily over the activity, saying last month that drones from South Korea entered its airspace, after another intrusion in September.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, urged Seoul to investigate the incident, warning provocations could result in “terrible situations”.
Mr Chung also expressed regret over South Korea sending 18 drones to North Korea under the alleged direction of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol.
“It was an extremely dangerous incident aimed to induce an attack against South Korea by sending 18 drones on 11 occasions, to sensitive areas in North Korea including the airspace over the Workers’ Party office,” he said.
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Alleged covert drone operation
South Korean prosecutors have indicted Yoon, who declared a short-lived martial law in December 2024, before he was ousted in April 2025, on charges that include aiding an enemy state.
They accused him and his military commanders of ordering a covert drone operation into the North to raise tensions and justify his martial law decree.
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Yoon denies wrongdoing.
A verdict is expected on Thursday as to whether he led an insurrection through his martial law declaration.
