North Korea had alleged Seoul flew drone over its capital last October
South Korean military Tuesday opposed any move to probe an alleged drone incursion over the North Korean capital last year.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo said the South Korean military not confirming the drone flight over Pyongyang “is a strategy to pressure the counterpart, limit its options and cause confusion by keeping our secret.”
North Korea claimed last October South Korean military flew a drone over Pyongyang, releasing a picture of one shot-down unmanned air vehicle.
It had warned of consequences if such incursions continued.
In Seoul, opposition parties led by the Democratic Party had alleged that the South Korean military “engaged in activities aimed at inducing North Korea's provocations” ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law decree on Dec. 3, the Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
Seoul has maintained ambiguity over claims made by Pyongyang.
The South Korean Defense Ministry Monday also rejected allegations that its suspension of an inter-Korean military tension reduction pact or resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border were conducted to induce the North to provoke.
The alleged drone incursion over Pyongyang came weeks before Yoon imposed a short-lived martial law last month. He has since been impeached and is facing trial by the Constitutional Court.
Under Yoon administration, the inter-Korean relations hit the bottom with almost all bilateral pacts eliminated.
Yoon faces charges of insurrection, treason, and an unprecedented arrest warrant, as well as travel ban.
Several senior officials from his administration, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, and Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, head of the Army Special Warfare Command, have been arrested and indicted on charges of insurrection and abuse of power in connection with the martial law probe.
