Unidentified aircraft near DMZ confirmed to be U.S. military drone

An unidentified aircraft was detected near the civilian control line in the demilitarized zone and was later confirmed to be a U.S. military drone conducting a training exercise, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Thursday.

“Our surveillance equipment detected an unidentified aircraft south of the general outpost line in northern Gyeonggi this afternoon, and the military responded in accordance with operational procedures,” a JCS official said. “[The aircraft] was later confirmed to be a U.S. drone participating in a training exercise.”

“The aircraft has been confirmed to have been participating in a training exercise, but we need to verify its exact flight path,” the official added.

The official also said that further verification was needed to determine whether the drone belonged to United States Forces Korea or was equipment brought in from United States Forces Japan.

The incident also triggered an emergency text alert in Cheorwon County, Gangwon.

“An unidentified drone has been detected in Cheorwon,” the text read. “Move immediately to a nearby shelter or outside the control post.”

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]