South Korea carries out maneuvers to strengthen its capabilities against North Korean drone operations

MADRID, 29 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The South Korean Army began maneuvers on Thursday to strengthen its capabilities against possible drone operations by North Korea, days after several unmanned devices crossed the border, the first incident of this type since 2017.

The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kim Seung Kyum, has supervised the maneuvers, which have taken place around Ganap Ri, 30 kilometers northeast of the capital, Seoul, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

"The maneuvers have been carried out with procedures to detect, identify, locate, and intercept the drones under various hypothetical scenarios about enemy infiltration of drones," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

South Korea's Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday that it plans to spend 560 billion won (about 438 million euros) over the next five years for a series of projects to strengthen defenses against drones, including the deployment of an anti-drone surveillance system. laser weapons.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has stated that the infiltration of North Korean drones into South Korean territory is "completely unacceptable" and has called on Pyongyang to realize that its provocations will have "harsh consequences".

The event is the first of its kind since 2017, although between 2014 and 2017 Seoul denounced numerous drone overflight operations by North Korea and already warned of the military threat posed by these devices, both to carry out attacks and in operations espionage.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula after Pyongyang's latest ballistic missile fire, including two short-range missiles launched earlier in the day on Friday.

The US and South Korean authorities agreed last week to conduct "realistic" joint military exercises, especially in the face of missile or nuclear attack scenarios by North Korea. The South Korean Ministry of Defense stressed that the parties also plan to expand their joint exercises for next year after a meeting between senior defense officials from both countries.