Seoul

North Korea has accused South Korea of sending drones across their heavily fortified border this week and warned of retaliation, a charge that Seoul has firmly denied, further clouding prospects for renewed engagement between the two Koreas.

In a statement carried by North Korean state media on Saturday, the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army claimed that its forces used electronic warfare systems on Sunday to bring down a South Korean drone over a border town. According to the statement, the drone was fitted with two cameras and had recorded footage of unspecified locations inside North Korea.

The North also alleged that another South Korean drone entered its airspace on September 27 before being disabled by electronic countermeasures and crashing. Authorities said video data showing key sites in North Korea was recovered from that aircraft as well.

Denouncing the alleged intrusions, the North Korean military said it viewed the drone activity as a serious violation of its sovereignty and warned that South Korea’s actions would not go unanswered. It described the incidents as deliberate provocations and said the South would face consequences for what it called “unpardonable” behaviour.

South Korea swiftly rejected the accusations. The Defence Ministry said it did not conduct any drone operations during the periods cited by Pyongyang and added that it does not even possess the type of drones North Korea claimed were used.

Senior defence official Kim Hong-cheol said authorities would examine the possibility that civilian drones may have been involved. He stressed that Seoul has no intention of provoking the North and remains committed to confidence-building measures and easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The latest exchange is expected to further strain efforts by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s liberal administration to revive dialogue with Pyongyang. Since assuming office in June, Lee has repeatedly signalled his willingness to reopen communication channels with North Korea, but those overtures have so far been rebuffed.

Earlier this week, Lee said he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help mediate between the two Koreas during their recent summit, with Xi urging patience and restraint.

North Korea has largely avoided talks with both South Korea and the United States since leader Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with former US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 over disagreements on sanctions relief. Since then, Pyongyang has prioritised expanding its nuclear capabilities and has formally declared a hostile “two-state” relationship with the South.

Drone activity has increasingly become a flashpoint between the rivals. In October 2024, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets, a claim Seoul said it could not verify. Although the North threatened military action at the time, tensions later subsided without major escalation.

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South Korea, in turn, has accused the North of drone incursions. In December 2022, Seoul said it fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and launched surveillance drones after North Korean drones crossed the border for the first time in five years.