The Tamesis
January 19, 2026
Seoul – Two civilians suspected of being involved in sending drones to North Korea were found to have worked at the Blue House under the former Yoon Seok-yeol administration.
According to local reports, the suspect believed to have built the drone is a suspect in his 30s who previously worked as a press ombudsman for the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson.
He is believed to have worked at the Yongsan presidential palace at the same time as another suspect in his 30s, who publicly claimed in an interview with a local broadcaster that he personally flew a drone into North Korea.
Investigators believe the drone’s maker was questioned on Friday by a joint military-police task force established to investigate North Korea’s claims earlier this month that a South Korean drone violated its airspace in September 2025 and again on January 4 this year.
In November last year, the suspect was charged with violating the aviation safety law for flying an unregistered drone in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, and was transferred to the prosecutor’s office.
It is reported that the model of the drone involved is the same as the model of the drone currently under investigation. At the time, military and police authorities said there were no signs of espionage after the suspects explained the flight was a test of a laboratory-built airframe.
Both suspects graduated from the same university in Seoul and later founded a drone manufacturing startup in 2024 with the support of the university, serving as CEO and director respectively. In 2020, they also jointly organized and participated in a youth group focusing on North and South Korea issues.
The second suspect insisted that the first built the drone at his request but had no role in flying it into North Korea.
“The first suspect purchased the main body from a Chinese online market and made the first round of modifications. I installed the camera and flew it into North Korea,” he said in an interview with Channel A on Friday.
The second suspect once served as the head of a conservative youth organization and is currently studying at a journalism graduate school at a major university in Seoul. A senior official in Yoon’s government reportedly provided a letter of recommendation during the admissions process.
Some politicians suspect the incident may have been an attempt to provoke a reaction from Pyongyang.
One of the charges Yoon faces in court is masterminding a covert operation to send drones to Pyongyang with the aim of provoking a response from North Korea to justify the declaration of martial law on December 3 of that year.
The second suspect denied any political motivation and said the drones were sent to measure radiation and heavy metal contamination near uranium facilities along the Yesong River. He claimed the purpose of the operation was to verify allegations (previously dismissed by the government) that North Korea’s nuclear wastewater had flowed into the West Sea.
Police said they were investigating whether the two suspects conspired to operate the drone, focusing on the motive and circumstances of the incident.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has urged investigators to conduct a swift and rigorous investigation, including whether any individuals or groups were involved.
“The authorities must (conduct) a prompt and thorough investigation, including whether there are any supporters,” party spokesman Kim Ji-ho said at a news conference on Saturday.
“All possibilities must remain open – whether this was an isolated act or there were connections or forces operating behind the scenes – and the facts must be made clear,” he said.
Kim also warned against political speculation, saying: “This is not an issue that can be handled through speculation or political explanation. Investigating authorities must prevent unnecessary controversy through strict enforcement and transparent disclosure of results.”
Democratic Rep. Kang Deuk-gu endorsed calls for a review but stopped short of calling for restrictions on speculation.
“Yoon Seok-yeol and his followers mobilized the military to provoke North Korea while in office and are now trying to provoke Pyongyang again through civilian actors,” Kang wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
“This does not appear to be a random incident but a typical way to trigger an external crisis,” Kang wrote. He claimed that the purpose of this move was to provoke North Korea’s reaction, trigger local conflicts on the Korean Peninsula, and amplify far-right statements such as “Yin is right” and “War with North Korea is inevitable.”
A joint military-police investigative task force established a week ago has so far formally summoned and questioned a civilian suspect in connection with North Korea’s claims earlier this month that a South Korean drone violated its airspace.
