Three Civilians Referred Over 'North Korean Drone' Incident: "Serious Threat to National Interest"

Graduate Student in His 30s Detained and Referred for Flying Drones

Joint Military-Police Task Force Continues Investigation into NIS and Military Involvement

Three civilian suspects, including a graduate student identified as the main perpetrator of the 'North Korean drone infiltration incident,' have been handed over to the prosecution. Investigative authorities have determined that their crimes pose a serious threat to the national interest.

On March 6, the joint military-police investigation task force (TF) announced that it had referred Oh, a graduate student in his 30s, for detention on charges of general espionage, violation of the Aviation Safety Act, and violation of the Military Base and Installation Act. The main perpetrator, Oh, as well as Jang, the CEO of drone manufacturer Estel Engineering who produced the drone, and Kim, who claimed to be the director responsible for North Korea-related affairs at the company, were referred without detention.

A man in his 30s, graduate student Oh, who sent a drone to North Korea, is entering the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on February 26 to undergo a pre-arrest warrant hearing. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to the TF, Oh and others are suspected of flying drones on four occasions—September 27, November 16, and November 22, 2025, and January 4 of this year—departing from Ganghwado, Incheon, passing through Kaesong City and Pyeongsan County in North Korea, and returning to Paju, Gyeonggi Province. During this process, they are accused of failing to report the drones to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or obtain approval for filming from the commanding officer of the responsible military unit. They are also suspected of exposing South Korean military information stored on the device when the drone crashed in North Korea, thereby escalating inter-Korean tensions and compromising military interests.

Investigative authorities believe that, starting in 2024, Oh and the others conspired to develop drones that would not be detected by low-altitude air defense networks, and that they conducted drone flights and filming to demonstrate that the drones could evade both South and North Korean air defense systems, aiming to gain economic benefits. Notably, beyond sending drones to North Korea on four occasions, it was additionally confirmed that from June to November of last year, they carried out eight test flights in the Yeoju area of Gyeonggi Province to verify drone performance. A drone-related incident discovered in Yeoju in November last year was also confirmed as one of the test flights conducted by the three, and has been merged into the current case. The civilian suspects reportedly referred to the flights in Yeoju as 'test flights' and those to North Korea as 'actual operation flights.'

A TF official stated, "We regarded the suspects' alleged actions as a serious threat to the national interest, conducted a rigorous investigation including detaining the main suspect (Oh), and plan to actively cooperate with the prosecution even after the referral."

The joint military and police investigation task force (TF) is moving seized items from the engineering building of a university in Seoul where the suspect, Mr. Oh, attended in January. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the TF is also investigating a Grade 8 general civil servant from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), identified as A, who was found to have had financial dealings with Oh; Captain B from the Army Special Warfare Command (Special Forces), who accompanied Oh during drone flights; and Major C and Captain D from the Defense Intelligence Command. The TF suspects that A may have engaged in financial transactions with Oh to build a relationship in anticipation of being assigned future covert operations, but the NIS has dismissed it as a private financial transaction. The Defense Intelligence Command maintains that Oh was recruited as a collaborator to help disguise the identities of agents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.