On Monday, December 26th, 2022, North Korea deployed drones across the border into South Korea. South Korea responded by gathering jets and attack helicopters and began to open fire to shoot down the North Korean uncrewed aircraft. South Korea, also in response, sent a surveillance aircraft to the North in an attempt to photograph its military installations. 

Lee Seung-o, a South Korean official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says, “This is a clear act of provocation by the North violating our airspace.” 

Of the five North Korean drones, one flew near Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and the others flew near the west coast. 

Per the Yonhap news agency, South Korea’s military fired around 100 rounds but could not shoot down any of the North Korean drones. Before South Korea attempted to shoot down the drones, they fired warning shots as soon as drones were detected. 

Lee stated that the North Korean drones were small, but no other details were provided. 

Following the detection of North Korean drones, a South Korean KS-1 light attack aircraft crashed after taking off from the base at Wonju. This is in the eastern portion of South Korea (South Korea scrambles).

The relationship between North Korea and South Korea has historically been poor, but as of recently, more tension has been increasing. The tension stems from a new conservative government taking over South Korea while North Korea continues to press on with nuclear and missile programs.