"Drone Loaded with Chocolate?... Kim Myung-soo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Remarks on Pyongyang Deployment Operation

[Financial News]  Kim Myung-soo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Navy Admiral), reportedly received a report on the 'Pyongyang Drone Deployment Operation' and stated, "It would be nice to include something like chocolate or candy," according to testimony obtained by the Special Prosecutor's Team for Internal Rebellion and Foreign Affairs (Jo Eun-seok Special Prosecutor). If confirmed, it is likely that Chairman Kim was aware of the operation.
According to the legal community on the 14th, the rebellion special prosecutor team recently obtained testimony during the investigation of military officials that Chairman Kim received a report on the drone operation from Kim Yong-dae, Commander of the Drone Operations Command, and Lee Seung-oh, Chief of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in June last year and made such remarks.
Military officials are giving conflicting testimonies regarding the Pyongyang drone deployment operation.
Commander Kim's side claims that the drone operation was reported to Chairman Kim and then to Shin Won-sik, then Minister of National Defense, in June-July last year, and the operation was approved in September when Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense, took office.
Although they minimized the scope of involvement, it is said that the main command structure went through 'Drone Operations Commander→Chief of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff→Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff→Minister of National Defense'.
Commander Kim reportedly testified in the special prosecutor's investigation that he approved the operation after hearing from Chief Lee, "The Minister and the Chairman have approved the operation."
On the other hand, Chairman Kim reportedly testified that he only received the report on the drone deployment operation in September last year when former Minister Kim took office. He claims he only understood the detailed operation a month before the infiltration stage, not during the preparation stage.
It is reported that there was no exchange of opinions with the Joint Chiefs of Staff until September even within the drone company.
The special prosecutor team is focusing on the possibility that former Minister Kim, who is from the Navy, bypassed Chairman Kim and gave individual operation orders to Chief Lee and Commander Kim, who are from the Army.
There are also conflicting testimonies regarding the existence of the so-called 'V (President) Report'.
The special prosecutor team reportedly obtained testimony from drone company officials that the V report was never reported to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and that "Commander Kim said he would print the V report and report it around autumn."
On the other hand, Commander Kim's side claims that there were only two reports related to the drone: the 'Mission Expansion Report' and the 'Aggressive Response Report on Enemy Balloon', and both reports were submitted to Chairman Kim in June last year.




kyu0705@fnnews.com Kim Dong-kyu Reporter