Drones probably from North Korea cross into the South

Five drones suspected of being from the North flew for hours over parts of South Korea, buzzing villages, forcing a halt to civilian flight departures and managing to stay airborne despite efforts to shoot them down.

A light attack aircraft, crashed in Hoengseong, Gangwon, around 11: 40 a.m. The KA-1 is believed to have been sent to counter a drone believed to have been sent from North Korea. [YONHAP]

Five drones suspected of being from the North flew for hours over parts of South Korea, buzzing villages, forcing a halt to civilian flight departures and managing to stay airborne despite efforts to shoot them down.

"Unidentified objects" thought to be unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from North Korea were observed at 10:25 a.m. Monday in parts of Gyeonggi, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Monday.

They were suspected of having crossed the inter-Korean border without prior permission. The JCS said that the aircraft were detected north of the military demarcation line (MDL) at the inter-Korean border in Gimpo, Gyeonggi.

The UAVs were spotted flying over Gimpo, Ganghwa Island and Paju, leading to the temporary suspension of civilian flights at the request of the JCS.

They flew a number of trajectories, making U-turns and flying near residential houses in villages, according to the military. One of the drones even flew in the skies above the Seoul area before leaving the area.

The JCS called it a "clear act of provocation" infringing upon South Korean airspace and said that the military took "corresponding measures."

The South Korean military aired warning broadcasts and fired warning shots. It also deployed Air Force fighters, attack helicopters and other warplanes to shoot down the drones.

The JCS said that the drones flew over South Korea for around seven hours, and about 100 shots were fired by attack helicopters. It also said manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft were deployed near the MDL and north of the inter-Korean border.

The drones were not successfully shot down, according to the JCS.

This marks the first time presumed North Korean drones entered South Korean airspace in five years.

The military has yet to confirm if the drones were equipped with aerial photography capabilities or any weapons.

This raised concern in Seoul that if Pyongyang had sent an attack drone rather than a reconnaissance drone, it could have resulted in serious damage. The drones could also potentially have captured important security information about the South.

The military also deployed a KA-1 light attack aircraft, which crashed in Hoengseong County in Gangwon at 11:39 a.m. The fighter had been scrambled from an air base in Wonju, Gangwon, to support operations against the drones.

The two pilots on board escaped without serious injury and were transferred to a nearby hospital. The cause of the crash was not yet known.

On Monday afternoon, flight departures from Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport were temporarily suspended by aviation authorities at the request of the JCS.

Flights were prohibited from departing from Incheon at 1:22 p.m. for 48 minutes and from Gimpo at 1:08 p.m. for 62 minutes. They both resumed normal operation as of 2:10 p.m., according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

South Korea have uncovered North Korea's drone operations south of the inter-Korean border since 2014, leading to concerns that they could be used for spy operations.

The drones spotted Monday were similar to the UAVs spotted in 2014, said military officials. This would make them around 1.9 to 2.5 meters in wingspan and 1.2 to 2 meters in body length, and 12 to 15 kilograms. Military officials said that the drones could be spotted with the naked eye.

In 2014, remains of North Korean drones were discovered in Paju and on Baengnyeong Island in March, in Samcheok in Gangwon in April and again on Baengnyeong Island in September.

A drone crashed on a mountain in Inje, Gangwon, on June 9, 2017 after crossing the MDL and flying near a U.S.-led antimissile system base in Seongju. The military said it had taken photos of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang, but crashed due to engine failure.

The remains of a North Korean drone found in Inje, Gangwon in June 2017, displayed at Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense.[YONHAP]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]