South Korea fires shots at North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles

• Monday marked the first time since 2017 that North Korean aircraft entered South Korean airspace.
• South Korea responded with warning shots and scrambling fighter planes.
• North Korea has increased its missile testing significantly this year. 

Five North Korean drones crossed South Korea’s border Monday for the first-time in five years. This has increased tension between the neighbors. 

According to a briefing, one drone flew as far north as Seoul, South Korea’s capital. It was approximately an hour’s drive from South Korea’s border. The other four drones flew around Ganghwa Island. CNN report said. 

The South Korean military responded by firing shots on the drones. However, the defense ministry could not confirm whether any drones were hit.

“This is a clear provocation, and an invasion of our airspace by North Korea,” South Korean defense official Lee Seung-oh said during a briefing.

Lee stated that the South Korean military conducted an intelligence mission after the drones entered their airspace. Some assets crossed into North Korean territory and filmed its military installations. 

According to the South Korean military’s records, the last time a North Korean aircraft entered South Korean airspace occurred five years ago. 

According to a report, South Korea claimed it had found a North Korean drone that had crashed and was spying on a U.S.-built ballistic missile system being deployed in the country. CNN reportIt was then that I got my license. 

CNN reports that North Korea has aggressively increased its missile tests this past year, firing missiles 36 times in a single day. This is the highest annual number of missile tests since Kim Jong Un was elected to power in 2012. 

Friday was the North Korean declaration by South Korea launched two short-range ballistic missilesCNN reports that it is.