Seoul: A mix-up over a U.S. spy drone flying near the inter-Korean border has raised questions about a potential communication gap between Seoul and Washington after South Korean forces mistook the drone for an enemy threat and had almost prepared to shoot it down.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the incident unfolded on Thursday when the unmanned flying vehicle was spotted in the buffer zone, known as the Civilian Control Line, south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating South and North Korea. The Army's 1st Corps, responsible for front-line defense, activated Durumi, an anti-air defense alert system, and used surveillance equipment, including thermal observation devices (TOD) and radar, to identify the drone.
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) later clarified that it was a U.S. military drone belonging to its Marine Corps, participating in a combined exercise with the South Korean Marines near the border. The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) confirmed the drone was operated by its Marines with the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment.
However, the incident has sparked questions about why the South Korean military was initially unaware of the allies' drone operation. The Army Ground Operations Command (GOC) reportedly mobilized its air defense assets, such as anti-aircraft artillery, to potentially down the drone. Despite USFK allegedly providing prior notice of the drone operation, the South's military claims it never granted formal approval.
In response, the JCS' readiness inspection office plans to visit the 1st Corps to investigate the overall situation regarding the drone incident. "We will determine whether due procedures were properly followed, particularly regarding communication and coordination between the unit on the ground and the authority responsible for the final approval," a JCS official stated.
The USFK is also conducting its own investigation and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident. "We are fully cooperating with the Republic of Korea military to establish the facts," it said.
The Chosun Ilbo daily reported that, according to unidentified military sources, the USFK informed the South Korean side of the planned drills and sent an official document regarding the drone operation. However, it was never reported up the chain of command or shared with relevant units. South Korean military protocol requires U.S. forces to provide advance flight plans to the local unit with jurisdiction over the training site, which in this case was the 1st Corps. The plan should then be forwarded to either the Army GOC or the Air Force Operations Command for final approval.
The GOC had not been informed of the planned drone flight until the day of the exercise, indicating that advance notification was never passed up the chain of command from the working level. It remains unclear whether the U.S. military followed proper notification procedures and whether flying the drone without final clearance was appropriate.
The combined Marine exercise took place at Story Firing Range, a U.S. live-fire training site in Paju near the Imjin River, just south of the MDL. During the exercise, the allies conducted live-fire drills with 81 millimeter mortar rounds and used drones to verify targets.