Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Probe deepens into claims ex-leader ordered drone incursion over Pyongyang
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, Wednesday, for a hearing on his arrest warrant. Joint Press Corps
By Jung Min-ho
Did former President Yoon Suk Yeol authorize a covert drone operation over Pyongyang as a pretext for declaring martial law?
This question lies at the heart of a high-profile investigation led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok. The probe has intensified following Yoon’s arrest, Thursday, as investigators focus on allegations that he sought to exploit military tensions with North Korea to manufacture a crisis — one that would justify issuing an emergency decree on Dec. 3.
The team is now examining whether the former commander-in-chief directly and unnecessarily ordered the Drone Operations Command to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles into North Korean airspace in October, just two months before declaring martial law.
On Oct. 11, North Korea accused the South Korean military of sending drones over Pyongyang on three separate occasions — Oct. 3, 9 and 11 — to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets. The North warned it would respond with force if such flights were repeated.
Audio recordings the investigators reportedly secured from active-duty officers indicate that the drone missions may have been ordered by “V” ― a code referring to the president ― and that the operations were to be kept secret from some key military leaders.
The recordings also suggest that Yoon and then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, one of the key suspects in the insurrection case, were “very pleased” after the announcement by North Korea and that more orders were given to repeat the drone operation in November.
If proven, he could be indicted under Article 99 of the Criminal Act, which carries a potential life sentence for undermining the nation’s military interests.
The case hinges on whether investigators can secure proof that the military response was ordered directly by Yoon, that it was disproportionately excessive and that it intended to trigger a North Korean reaction.
At the time, tensions were already high along the inter-Korean border, with North Korea having sent trash-filled balloons into the South for several months. The regime claimed this was in retaliation for South Korea-based activists sending balloons with food and anti-regime leaflets north.
The investigators are probing whether military leaders involved in the drone missions were aware of the risk of detection by North Korea, as this could support claims that provocation was the main objective, rather than the spread of anti-regime propaganda.
The veracity of allegations made by Kwak Jong-keun, former commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, is also under scrutiny. Testifying before the National Assembly in January, Kwak claimed that the former defense minister had planned strikes on North Korean trash balloon launch sites in October — an assertion the Ministry of National Defense has denied.
These North Korea-related accusations were not included in the criminal charges when the special prosecutor sought Yoon’s arrest warrant, but the investigation into these suspicions was ongoing, said Park Ji-young, assistant special counsel.
The United Nations Command told reporters on Tuesday that it was conducting a separate probe into accusations that South Korean drones entered Pyongyang's airspace. Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Derek Macaulay said the investigations are ongoing and findings will be provided to relevant parties.