On Thursday, South Korea’s Presidential Office refuted the opposition party’s claim that a high-ranking official from the National Security Office instructed the Drone Operations Command to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Pyongyang, dismissing it as a baseless political attack.
In a press release, the Presidential Office stated, “In Seong Hwan, the Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office officially visited the Drone Command in March 2024 as part of routine field inspections of major Army, Navy, and Air Force commands.”
The statement also clarified, “When Kim Yong Dae, the commander of the Drone Operations Command, visited the National Security Office in August 2024, it was confirmed that he did so with several officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to discuss plans for drone deployment.”
The Presidential Office emphasized, “Linking legitimate operations to accusations of North Wind-style political maneuvering is an excessive leap and a baseless political attack.” It further urged, “Recognize that expanding conspiracy theories and misleading public opinion by a major political party only drags national security into unnecessary political strife.”
The opposition Democratic Party’s Fact-Finding Committee on Foreign Exchange Inflows had held a press conference at the National Assembly the previous day. During the briefing, the committee raised concerns about the National Security Office official’s visit to the Drone Command and the Drone Commander’s visit to the Presidential Office, alleging that the Drone Command received direct instructions from the Presidential Office to deploy drones to Pyongyang.
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