South Korea is asking civilians to stop flying drones into North Korea after two of them crashed, angering its northern neighbour.
South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said three civilians had sent drones to North Korea on four occasions and have harmed inter-Korean ties.
A trio flew the aircraft between September 2025 and January, Chung said, citing a joint police and military investigation.
Two crashed in North Korea, consistent with Pyongyang’s claims, while two others returned to the south.
Authorities are investigating the civilians on suspicion of violating aviation safety laws and aiding the enemy, he said, adding that some officials from military intelligence and the National Intelligence Service were also under investigation for possible involvement.
‘We express official regret to the North,’ Chung said, noting the government was taking the incident very seriously.
North Korea has urged Seoul to investigate, warning that provocations could lead to ‘terrible situations.’
It comes after the previous South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, sent 18 drones to the north, in what Chung called ‘an extremely dangerous incident’.
South Korean prosecutors indicted Yoon, who was ousted in April 2025, on charges that include aiding an enemy state.
They accused him and his military commanders of ordering a covert drone operation into the North to raise tensions and justify his martial law decree.
Yoon, who could face the death penalty, denies wrongdoing.
The apology comes as rumours that Kim Jong-un has chosen his daughter as his successor are spreading.
Until a few years ago, the young teenager was kept out of the public eye, but has recently been attending high-profile events with her dictator father.
The entire family of Kim Jong-un is secretive, and there is still speculation about how many children he and his wife, Ko Yong-hui, have together.
It is reported that Kim Ju-ae is the middle child of three. She is believed to be around the age of 13 or 14, but her birthday isn’t known.
She was introduced as an infant to former NBA star Dennis Rodman during one of his visits to North Korea in early 2013.
Her first public appearance in Western media was in November 2022 when she was pictured accompanying her father during an inspection of the launch of the country’s largest ballistic missile, a Hwasong-17 intercontinental.
Before that, Kim Ju-ae’s existence had never been confirmed.
Her recently public profile could be an indication that the teenager will later become a leader and present the Kim family in the style of a monarchy.
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