Imagine a real-life spy movie: two former staffers from ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Yongsan office are now in the hot seat, accused of flying a DIY drone into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). 🚁
The suspects, both in their 30s and co-founders of a drone startup launched in 2024, reportedly sent the craft across DPRK airspace on January 4, 2026. One is believed to have built the drone, while the other says he piloted it to gather data on radiation and heavy-metal contamination near a uranium facility by the Ryesong River.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency claimed earlier this month that the Republic of Korea violated its airspace. Now, a joint military-police team is probing the duo’s motive and whether they had any outside help.
This case resonates beyond the Korean Peninsula—it shows how Asia’s buzzing drone startup scene, from Bengaluru to Bangkok to Manila, can sometimes cross into geopolitics. Stay tuned for updates as this story unfolds! 👀
Reference(s):
Yonhap: Ex-Yoon staffers under probe over alleged DPRK drone flight
cgtn.com
