"I flew it as a hobby"—Suspect released, raising allegations of a botched drone investigation

According to The Financial News, questions have emerged over whether the military and police properly investigated a civilian suspect and Jang, the head of the drone manufacturer, in a recent case involving a drone flown into North Korea. The issue dates back to when a drone was flown over the Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi Province area in November last year.
Yonhap News TV reported on the 20th that the Joint Information Investigation Team, made up of the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), police and others, is believed to have closed the case without examining the drone’s flight control computer, which could have revealed its flight path.
During questioning at the time, Jang stated, "I flew the drone as a hobby," and the team reportedly conducted no further investigation, judging that he was a clearly identified South Korean national and that there were no signs of a counterespionage threat.
The team also did not press him about the drone’s resemblance to North Korean drones, nor did it examine the onboard flight control computer that could have traced its route. Instead, they only applied a charge under the Aviation Safety Act for operating an unregistered drone and referred the case to prosecutors on that basis.
A man identified only by his surname Oh, who was previously named as a suspect in the drone case, claims he flew drones into North Korea on three occasions—in September and November last year and in January this year. Critics argue that if the Yeoju drone incident had been thoroughly investigated at the time, the subsequent cases might have been prevented.
y27k@fnnews.com Reporter Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter