SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th December, 2022) Four small drones of North Korea flew in the area of Ganghwado Island in South Korea, and another flew up to the northern region of the metropolitan agglomeration, including Seoul, the South Korean Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
"Small North Korean drones ... one of them flew up to the northern region of the metropolitan agglomeration, the remaining four flew in the area of Ganghwado Island, our military immediately responded within the framework of self-defense rights," the ministry told reporters.
The first traces of drones were found in the Gimpo city area. The South Korean military fired warning shots, and then took steps to follow them and destroy in a way that "does not cause harm to civilians."
According to Yonhap news agency, South Korean forces fired around 100 shots to shoot down one of the North Korean drones but failed to hit it.
One drone eventually returned to North Korea after flying over Seoul, with the remaining four lost on radars of the South Korean military, the news agency added.
The South Korean military has been seen struggling to destroy drones, as they change flight path and altitude, and are close to areas with a civilian population, News1 reported. To prevent drones from harming civilians, the troops try to shoot them down when they are far from populated areas, the report said. But due to changes in flight path and altitude, drones "appear and disappear" on detection equipment, the news added.
The South Korean Defense Ministry called the intrusion of North Korean drones into the country's territory "a clear provocation" and pledged to respond decisively. After the drones are shot down or captured, the South Korean military is expected to study the designs and find out their real targets, media said.
Earlier in the day, Yonhap reported, citing South Korean military, that a number of drones believed to be North Korean had crossed the inter-Korean border. South Korea, in response, fired warning shots and tried to shoot the drones down. This resulted in the temporary suspension of civilian flights at Incheon and Gimpo airport
South Korea last reported seeing North Korean drones south of the inter-Korean border in 2014 and 2017.
