DPRK says it discovered remains of a ROK drone: KCNA

SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said it had discovered remains of a drone identical to a military unmanned aerial vehicle that the Republic of Korea showed during the Armed Forces Day parade, calling it decisive material evidence to prove the ROK committed a hostile provocation in violation of the country's sovereignty, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.

A spokesman for the DPRK Ministry of National Defense said on Friday that the Pyongyang Municipal Security Bureau of the DPRK Ministry of Public Security on October 13 discovered the remains of a crashed drone during a search operation in Pyongyang, the KCNA said.

The DPRK assessed through technical examination and analysis the drone it discovered as a light-weight drone for long-range reconnaissance owned by the ROK military and one of "the same type as the vehicle-carried one opened to public at an event marking the ROK Armed Forces Day", according to the KCNA report.

Based on the drone shape, its presumptive flight period and the leaflet-scattering box fixed to the underpart of the drone's fuselage, among other factors, "it is quite likely that the drone is the one which scattered leaflets over the center of Pyongyang," the KCNA said, adding though "the conclusion has not yet been drawn."

Subsequently, the DPRK asked its military units in the capital city and the southern border area to reinforce anti-air observation posts, and "decided to keep the combined artillery units and the units with important fire duties near the border in full combat readiness," according to the KCNA.

The DPRK warned that "if a violation of the DPRK's territorial ground, air and waters by ROK's military means is discovered and confirmed again, it will be regarded as a grave military provocation against the DPRK sovereignty and a declaration of war and an immediate retaliatory attack will be launched," the KCNA said.

The DPRK Foreign Ministry on October 11th accused the ROK of sending drones over Pyongyang. The ROK's military denied the accusation on the same day, saying "it did not send drones into North Korea."