Seoul: Last week's mix-up between South Korean and U.S. militaries over a U.S. drone flight occurred due to a communication error at the working level, a South Korean military official said Monday. The incident unfolded after South Korean forces detected the U.S. spy drone flying over the inter-Korean border area on Thursday, mistaking it for an enemy threat and nearly preparing to shoot it down.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the unmanned flying vehicle was with a U.S. Marine Corps unit participating in a routine combined exercise with the South Korean Marines at a U.S. training site in Paju, north of Seoul. In response to the incident, the South Korean military conducted an inspection of the Army's 1st Corp, which holds jurisdiction over the firing range.

"The inspection confirmed that the incident occurred due to a communication error between working-level personnel regarding on-site airspace control procedures," an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) explained to reporters. The official further elaborated that the command reporting system did not function properly, and there was a failure to comply with official flight authorization procedures, contributing to the mix-up.