According to South Korean military officials, North Korea has flown five drones across their shared border.
The “unmanned aerial vehicles” violated South Korean airspace near Gyeonggi province, according to the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
One drone flew all the way to the outskirts of Seoul before returning across the border. Jets and attack helicopters were deployed, but despite 100 rounds fired from helicopters, they were not shot down.
According to a South Korean military official, they had lost track of all the drones but that they were no longer in flight.
The incursion comes at a time when tensions on the Korean peninsula are at an all-time high, with the North conducting a record number of missile tests this year.
At around 10:30 a.m. local time, the drones were spotted crossing the border (01:30 GMT).
One of the South Korean planes involved in the operation, a KA-1 light attack plane, later crashed, but both of its pilots escaped unharmed.
According to the air force, which was quoted by Yonhap, the plane crashed in Hoengseong County, east of Seoul, shortly after taking off from an air base in the nearby city of Wonju.
For about an hour, South Korean planes took off and landed at its Incheon and Gimpo airports. According to a South Korean military official, Pyongyang’s latest incursion was a clear act of provocation.
“Our military will continue to respond thoroughly and resolutely to North Korea’s provocations,” the military added.
South Korea’s military responded by saying it had also sent surveillance planes into the North to photograph its military installations.
The last time a North Korean drone crossed the border was in June 2017, during the height of tensions between the two Koreas.
Drones from North Korea pose a security risk to South Korea because they can be used to spy on it as well as launch an attack.
Earlier this month, the North claimed to have completed major tests to aid in the development of its first spy satellite, which could be used to spy on South Korea. It released an aerial photograph of Seoul that it claimed was taken during the test.
Experts believe North Korea is refining and improving its weapons while putting pressure on the US to ease sanctions in any future talks.
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