The South Korean military on Tuesday apologized for failing to shoot down five North Korean drones that crossed the inter-Korean border on Monday, after facing widespread criticism for its lack of preparation.
“Yesterday, five enemy drones entered South Korean airspace and our military detected and tracked them, but we apologize that we were unable to shoot them down,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff South Korea (JCS) said in a statement.
Monday’s incursion prompted Seoul to fire warning shots and use fighter jets and helicopter gunships to shoot down the drones, one of which had entered airspace near Seoul.
All drones appear to have returned north despite a five-hour hunt.
The JCS acknowledged that while the military can counter “attack drones that pose a real threat,” there is a limit to their ability to detect and hit smaller spy drones.
“As a result, the military’s unwillingness to respond has caused major public concern,” he added.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the incident showed the military’s state of preparedness was “very inadequate”.
Mr. Yoon ordered the acceleration of a project to launch a drone unit to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance operations of North Korea’s key military installations. The plan calls for the introduction of advanced stealth drones.
The foray into South Korean airspace was the first in five years and comes after a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang.