North Korea Downs Alleged South Korean Drone Near Border

North Korea's military accused South Korea on Saturday of sending a surveillance drone across the border into its territory on January 4, claiming to have shot it down near the city of Kaesong and warning of severe consequences if such incursions continue. The allegation, which South Korea swiftly denied, involves a drone reportedly equipped with cameras that captured images of sensitive North Korean sites, heightening tensions between the divided peninsula's rivals.

According to a statement from North Korea's Korean People's Army, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the drone originated from Ganghwa County in South Korea, one of the areas closest to the border northwest of Seoul. Tracked moving northward, the unmanned aircraft flew approximately eight kilometers into North Korean airspace before being downed using electronic warfare measures. Wreckage analysis revealed surveillance equipment, including cameras, and stored footage of "major targets" such as border facilities and the historic city of Kaesong, the statement said. Pyongyang released photographs of the debris, showing a winged craft with components like cameras, and aerial images purportedly taken...