Joint Military–Police TF Books Active-Duty Soldiers, Raids Defense Intelligence Command and NIS

A joint military–police investigation task force (TF) probing North Korea’s infiltration of South Korean airspace by drones has additionally booked three active-duty soldiers and one employee of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), on top of existing civilian suspects, and has launched a compulsory investigation.
The joint investigation TF announced on the 10th that it has booked three active-duty soldiers and one NIS employee on charges including violations of the Aviation Safety Act. They are suspected of involvement in the actions of three civilians who flew drones from a border area toward North Korea.
Starting at around 9 a.m. the same day, the TF has been conducting search-and-seizure operations at 18 locations, including the Defense Intelligence Command, the NIS, and the offices and residences of the suspects.
The four are suspected of having taken part in the process by which the three civilian suspects sent drones to North Korea. The three soldiers are known to include a major and a captain from the Defense Intelligence Command, and a captain from a regular unit.
Last month, the TF additionally applied the Criminal Act’s charge of the crime of aiding the enemy to the three civilian suspects, including a man in his 30s, identified only by his surname Oh, a graduate student who had already been booked for violating the Aviation Safety Act and the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act. The crime of aiding the enemy applies when a person harms South Korea’s military interests or provides military advantages to an enemy state.
A TF official stated, "Through analysis of the seized materials and a rigorous investigation of the suspects, we intend to thoroughly uncover the full truth behind the drone incident."
Earlier, a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) claimed in a statement on the 11th of last month that the North had shot down drones that South Korea had infiltrated into its airspace in September last year and again on the 4th of last month. In response, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea said the South Korean military does not possess such drones and pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the possibility that they were civilian drones.
Following this, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) National Office of Investigation formed a joint military–police investigation TF of about 30 members—some 20 police officers and more than 10 military personnel—led by the head of the National Security Investigation Bureau of the National Office of Investigation, and began its probe into the drone case. The TF then identified alleged offenses by Oh and two other civilians and formally booked them over a two-day period on the 17th and 18th of last month.
On the 21st of last month, police carried out search-and-seizure operations at six locations, including Oh’s residence and a private university laboratory that had served as the office of Estel Engineering. Authorities are currently analyzing the various items seized.
welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter