South Korean prosecutors seek drone chief's arrest over operation in North - reuters

South Korean prosecutors seek drone chief's arrest over operation in North - reuters

South Korean prosecutors have requested court approval to detain the head of the military drone unit, Kim Yong-dae, as part of an investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and drone operations in neighboring North Korea. The move comes after prosecutors indicted Yoon on additional charges for his short-lived declaration of martial law in December [1].

The special counsel team summoned Kim last week over allegations that Yoon ordered a covert drone operation into North Korea last year. The operation was allegedly intended to inflame tensions between the two nations to justify Yoon's martial law decree. Yoon has denied these allegations [2].

Kim Yong-dae told reporters that the incident was part of a "clandestine military operation" in response to trash balloons sent from North Korea. He stated that the operation was not intended to provoke the neighboring nation [3].

In October, North Korea claimed that South Korea had sent drones to scatter anti-North Korea leaflets over Pyongyang. The North Korean government published photos of the remains of a crashed South Korean military drone. South Korea at the time declined to disclose whether it had sent the drones [1].

Kim Yong-dae was arrested on Friday without a court warrant. Prosecutors and police are permitted to conduct an "emergency arrest" if they have a strong belief that someone is guilty of a serious crime and that there is a risk that the individual might flee or destroy evidence [1].

The arrest warrant request for Kim Yong-dae is expected to be reviewed by a court on Monday afternoon [2].

References:

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-prosecutors-seek-drone-chief-arrest-over-operation-north-2025-07-20/
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-prosecutors-seek-drone-chiefs-arrest-over-operation-in-north-2025-07-20/
[3] https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/south-korean-prosecutors-seek-drone-chief-arrest-over-operation-in-north-korea-4142766