Yoon to decide whether to punish military for drone failure after inspection

SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol will decide whether to reprimand the military for its botched operation against North Korea's drone infiltration after the military completes its review of the incident, an official said Friday.

The defense minister and the military leadership have faced calls to take responsibility for their failure to shoot down the North Korean drones last week and their belated admission that one drone entered a no-fly zone around the presidential office.

"The military's combat readiness inspection is still under way, so when the final results are out, it's expected that (Yoon) will look at the overall situation and decide," a presidential official told reporters.

The official also emphasized that the no-fly zone, which covers a 3.7-kilometer-radius area around the presidential office, is "completely different" from the "security zone," which spans a 500-meter-radius area.

hague@yna.co.kr
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