Military ends search for drone near THAAD base, citing 'low' espionage possibility

Defense 14:13 January 20, 2023

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military has withdrawn from a fruitless search for a drone thought to have crashed near a U.S. missile defense unit in a southern county earlier this week, its officials said Friday, citing "low" chances that it was used for spying activities.

It has left the search operation to police, which will also continue a probe into who flew the drone near the base in Seongju, 217 kilometers south of Seoul, and for what purpose.

On Tuesday, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel used a jamming gun to bring down the presumed civilian drone after it flew toward the THAAD base. Some 200 military and police personnel had engaged in the search operation in areas close to the base.

The military cited a "comprehensive analysis of the circumstances and data," including those from the U.S. side, to back its conclusion that the likelihood of the drone being mobilized for espionage is "low."

South Korea's military has been striving to build counter-drone capabilities in the wake of North Korean drone infiltrations last month, which laid bare shortcomings in its air defense capabilities.