South Korean investigators conducted raids on the spy agency and a military intelligence command, booking three military officers as suspects in connection to suspected drone flights to North Korea. The raids, carried out by a joint team of police and military investigators, targeted the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Defence Intelligence Command, and 16 other locations, including the suspects’ residences and workplaces, as part of the ongoing investigation into the drone activities. Among the suspects are three active duty officers, including a major and a captain from the intelligence unit, who are believed to have been involved in the drone incursions.
The joint investigation was initiated following North Korea’s claims that South Korea had violated its sovereignty through drone incursions in September and January. Initially focusing on three civilian suspects, including a graduate student in his 30s who claimed responsibility for the flights, investigators later uncovered connections between the civilians and the intelligence unit. The Defence Intelligence Command revealed that the student, identified as Oh, had collaborated in the operations of a media company that served as a front for the unit’s intelligence operations.
Additionally, investigators have identified an NIS employee who allegedly engaged in financial transactions amounting to hundreds of millions of won with Oh. The NIS conducted an internal inspection after discovering the transaction, but so far, no direct links between the money and the drone flights have been established. The three civilian suspects are currently facing investigations for violating aviation safety laws and aiding the enemy, as reported by Yonhap news agency. Travel bans were imposed earlier on three civilian suspects on January 23, who were also allegedly involved in the drone flights to North Korea.
