Seoul: A joint team of police and military investigators conducted raids on the homes and offices of three civilian suspects alleged to have flown drones into North Korea, as confirmed by police authorities. The operation began at 8 a.m. with search and seizure warrants executed against the individuals, who are accused of breaching the Aviation Safety Act, according to the National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the joint investigation was initiated the previous week following North Korea's claims of South Korea's drone incursions violating its sovereignty in September and again on January 4. However, South Korea's military has refuted these allegations, stating it does not operate the drone models mentioned by North Korea. Despite the severity of the accusations, police have opted not to disclose the identities of the suspects at this stage, emphasizing the ongoing nature of their inquiries.

The situation escalated after a media interview aired last Friday, where a graduate student in his 30s, identified only by his surname Oh, confessed to piloting the drones. On the same day, another civilian suspect was questioned concerning these alleged drone activities. Both individuals, who studied at the same university in Seoul, previously worked at the presidential office under former President Yoon Suk Yeol and co-founded a drone manufacturing startup with academic support in 2024.

In addition, Oh was running two online news platforms focused on North Korean affairs, which have recently been closed down amid allegations of being fronts for covert military intelligence operations. During the raid, investigators targeted the university-based startup but did not focus on the offices of the now-defunct news outlets.