What were the sentences for the three civilians convicted in the North Korea drone case?

The Seoul Central District Court gave the graduate student, surnamed Oh, eight months in prison suspended for two years. The other two defendants received six-month prison terms, also suspended for two years, after convictions under the Aviation Safety Act.

Why did the court acquit the defendants of aiding the enemy in the drone case?

The court said prosecutors did not prove that the crashed drones contained SD cards. It therefore said it was difficult to conclude that meaningful military information had been leaked to North Korea.

3 civilians get suspended prison terms for flying drones into N. Korea

Q: How many times did the defendants send drones into North Korea and what happened to them?

They were indicted for sending drones across the inter-Korean border four times between last September and January to film North Korea. Two of the drones failed to return and crashed in North Korea, which later prompted criticism from Pyongyang after it analyzed the wreckage, flight logs and video footage.

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Summary

A Seoul court on Wednesday handed suspended prison terms to three civilians for flying drones into North Korea without permission and acquitted them of aiding the enemy. The Seoul Central District Court gave a graduate student in his 30s, surnamed Oh, an eight-month sentence suspended for two years, and the other two defendants six-month sentences suspended for two years. The court said they violated the Aviation Safety Act by flying drones over 2 kilograms without required prior reporting.

Key Facts

The three were indicted for sending drones across the inter-Korean border four times between last September and January to film North Korea.
Two of the drones failed to return and crashed in North Korea.
The court said drones over 2 kilograms require prior reporting to the land ministry, and the defendants did not take that step.
The court acquitted the three of benefiting the enemy because it said it was not proven that SD cards were on the drones or that meaningful military information was leaked.
Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison term for Oh and three-year terms for the other two defendants.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 16, 2026 3:36 pm KST

This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Jan. 10, shows a drone that North Korea claimed was sent by South Korea across the border into the North's Jangphung County in Kaesong. Yonhap

A court on Wednesday handed down suspended prison terms to three civilians for flying drones into North Korea without permission while acquitting them of charges related to aiding the enemy.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced a graduate student in his 30s, surnamed Oh, to an eight-month prison term suspended for two years and two others to prison terms of six months, also suspended for two years, on charges of violating the Aviation Safety Act.

The three were indicted on charges of sending drones across the inter-Korean border four times between last September and January to film North Korea. Two of the drones failed to return and crashed in North Korea, prompting Pyongyang to release statements criticizing Seoul after analyzing the recovered wreckage, flight logs and video footage.

The court found them guilty of operating drones exceeding 2 kilograms in weight, the threshold for mandatory prior reporting to the land ministry, without taking the required step. Drones made and operated by research institutes for testing or research purposes are exempt from the mandatory reporting, but those flown by the defendants did not qualify for such exemptions, the court noted.

The court, however, acquitted the three of "benefiting the enemy in general," a charge that covers acts that harm South Korea's military interests or give military benefits to the enemy, regardless of prior collusion.

Prosecutors had argued that North Korea extracted flight paths from an SD card inside the crashed drones, thereby compromising South Korea's air defense posture.

The court said that whether the drones had in fact carried SD cards has not been proven, and thus it is difficult to conclude that any meaningful military information may have been leaked to North Korea.

The prosecution had demanded a five-year prison term for Oh and three-year prison terms for the other two defendants.

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