North Korea Defence Forum

[冖_冖]

SEOUL, Oct 11 (Reuters) - North Korea accused South Korea on Friday of sending drones to scatter a "huge number" of anti-North leaflets over its capital Pyongyang, in what it called a political and military provocation that could lead to armed conflict.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it could not confirm the North's accusations but also referred in its statement to Pyongyang's practice of sending into South Korean airspace balloons with bags of trash attached.

North Korea's foreign ministry said the drones were flown over Pyongyang at night this week and last and that the intrusion demanded retaliatory action, the state news agency KCNA reported.

"The ROK (South Korea) should immediately stop such irresponsible and dangerous provocation that may cause an armed conflict and lead to a war between the two sides," the ministry was quoted as saying.

In its statement, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it "cannot confirm the truth of North Korea's claims", adding: "All responsibility for the recent series of events" lies with Pyongyang.

It cited "despicable, low-grade and internationally embarrassing acts of filth and garbage balloons and other provocations." More balloons were being sent on Friday, it said.

North Korea has been floating thousands of balloons with trash attached into the South since May, exacerbating tensions between the two countries.

Pyongyang says they are a response to some activists and North Korean defectors in South Korea who fly balloons into the North carrying aid parcels and leaflets criticising leader Kim Jong Un.

BLURRY IMAGES​

KCNA distributed photos, including ones showing a blurry, triangular object labelled as a "drone" dropping another object labelled as "bundle of leaflets". One image also showed a cloud of small objects that was labelled as "scattered leaflets."

Another photo showed black, yellow and white leaflets comparing the economic situation in the South to the impoverished North and criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by name.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying it needs to look into whether a private group had sent leaflets into the North.

In December five North Korean drones crossed into South Korea, prompting Seoul to scramble fighter jets and attack helicopters, and try to shoot them down, in the first such intrusion since 2017.

The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, and the North has long denounced defectors as "human scum".

There will be no more warnings and the North will immediately take action in the event of another drone being sent by the South into its territory, North Korea's foreign ministry said.

(LEAD) Ex-President Yoon sentenced to 30 yrs in prison in drone infiltration case | Yonhap News Agency

(ATTN: UPDATES with ruling; CHANGES headline, photo) SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul ...

en.yna.co.kr

Ex-President Yoon sentenced to 30 yrs in prison in drone infiltration case​

11:12 June 12, 2026

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on charges of ordering drone infiltrations into North Korea in an attempt to heighten cross-border tensions and create a basis for his martial law declaration in December 2024.

Special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team had demanded a 30-year prison term for Yoon on charges that included benefiting the enemy, accusing him of ordering the flights in October 2024 to provoke Pyongyang and use it as a pretext for his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.

This file composite photo shows (from L to R) former President Yoon Suk Yeol, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Breaking: Former President Yoon Suk-yeol Sentenced to 30 Years for Treason, Abuse of Authority

Breaking: Former President Yoon Suk-yeol Sentenced to 30 Years for Treason, Abuse of Authority Court rules Pyongyang drone operation aimed to create state of emergency, not legitimate military action

www.chosun.com

Published 2026.06.12. 10:48 Updated 2026.06.12. 11:26

A court that tried the ‘Pyongyang Drone Infiltration Suspicion Case’ involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

The 36th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-yeop) stated during the first-instance sentencing hearing on the 12th for former President Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who were indicted on charges of general treason and abuse of authority, that “the Pyongyang drone operation is recognized as an operation aimed at creating a situation for declaring a state of emergency,” and “it cannot be considered a legitimate military operation.”

Former Defense Minister Kim, who faced the same charges, was also sentenced to 30 years in prison, while former Commander of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces Defense Counterintelligence Command Yeo In-hyung received 15 years. Former Drone Operations Commandant Kim Yong-dae, indicted on charges including abuse of authority and instigation of military property destruction, was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years.

First, the court recognized that the Pyongyang drone operation was intended to create a situation for declaring a state of emergency. In March 2023, former President Yoon mentioned emergency powers in the presence of former Minister Kim and former Commander Yeo, and former Minister Kim discussed emergency powers in a meeting with former Commander Yeo, indicating the necessity of creating a situation for declaring a state of emergency. The court noted that former Minister Kim ordered the operation even when North Korea was not launching balloon debris, and proceeded despite opposition from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Based on expressions in former Commander Yeo’s memo, such as “We must seize the created opportunity” and “Targeting to damage face,” the court determined that there was content suggesting the creation of a state of emergency.

Former President Yoon’s side argued that the operation was a legitimate military response to North Korea’s balloon debris dispersal, but this was not accepted. The court stated, “When North Korea did not provoke, they attempted to escalate the level of physical response.”

The court also viewed these actions as infringing on military interests. It explained, “General treason is sufficient with the mere occurrence of the risk of infringement, and does not require actual infringement,” adding, “Human and material damage occurred, and by provoking North Korean aggression and providing justification, risks of property damage, etc., were created.” Furthermore, “Using military forces defined by the Republic of Korea for private purposes led to unnecessary risks.” Additionally, the court pointed out that the operation exposed military secrets to North Korea and made similar future operations difficult.

Regarding the general treason charges, the court viewed former President Yoon as a co-principal offender. The court stated, “It is difficult to see Kim Yong-hyun as having carried out the operation under his authority as minister without Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval,” adding, “Yoon Suk-yeol appears to have conspired in the operation to create a state of emergency, and functional control over the actions is recognized.” Former Minister Kim admitted to receiving operational instructions from former President Yoon, and former Commander Yeo was considered to have participated in the planning based on multiple references to a state of emergency in his memo.

The abuse of authority charges were also recognized as guilty. The court stated, “Although Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Yong-hyun hold military command authority, they caused unlawful operations rather than legitimate ones,” adding, “This contradicts the mission of the military as defined by the Republic of Korea’s Constitution, and soldiers have no obligation to obey such orders.” It continued, “Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Yong-hyun abused their authority, forcing soldiers to perform tasks beyond their duties.”

Former President Yoon, former Minister Kim, and former Commander Yeo were accused of ordering a drone insertion operation into Pyongyang in October 2024 with the aim of creating conditions to declare a December 3 emergency martial law by provoking North Korea. Former Drone Commandant Kim Yong-dae, also brought to trial, was excluded from the general treason charges but faced charges of abuse of authority for ordering the drone infiltration without necessary procedures like U.N. Command approval, and instigation of false document creation for covering up the crashed drone as a training accident.