North Korea went into a war-ready posture after a series of South Korean military drone flights over Pyongyang in October last year according to lawmakers briefed by the military’s intelligence agency. It is now suspected that the South's move had been planned to set the stage for then-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.
Reps. Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Lee Seong-kweun of the main opposition People Power Party — executive secretaries of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee — said the Defense Intelligence Agency, under the Ministry of National Defense, briefed lawmakers on the October drone missions during a closed-door meeting at the Assembly.
According to Park, who summarized the briefing to reporters Wednesday evening, the DIA reported that drones entered Pyongyang airspace on Oct. 3, 6 and 9, 2024.
The agency ordered its subordinate units — the Defense Intelligence Command and the 777th Command — to collect information on public sentiment in the North just after a harsh statement was issued under the name of Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Oct. 10.
“The assessment relayed to lawmakers was that North Korean residents showed significant agitation and the regime shifted to a war-preparation posture,” Park said.
He added that the South Korean side subsequently carried out follow-up reconnaissance operations, including Apache helicopter flights close to the Military Demarcation Line that separates the two Koreas and at least five additional drone sorties.
Senior field commanders — including operations chiefs from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and commanders from Army branches such as the Ground Operations Command, 1st Corps and Special Warfare Command — oversaw the operation, which was conducted as a formal Joint Chiefs of Staff mission. DIA chief Won Chun-hee, who took office in April 2024, also acknowledged awareness of the operation, Park added.
Park said that on Dec. 2 — the day before Yoon’s martial law declaration — the DIA delivered a 90-minute report to then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun over operations tied to the Defense Intelligence Command’s missions.
Kim, who had previously served as presidential chief of security under Yoon, is considered a key figure in the former president’s inner security circle and was among those allegedly involved in planning or overseeing the Dec. 3 martial law scheme. He resigned on Dec. 4, after the Assembly voted to nullify the declaration, and was later detained as part of the investigation.
Rep. Park also said the Defense Counterintelligence Command, in separate testimony earlier that day, acknowledged its role in the declaration of martial law.
According to Park, the command’s acting chief “expressed deep regret and apologized for being implicated in the martial law incident,” adding that the unit pledged it “will not again be used as a core force in any unlawful operation.”
The command reportedly mobilized its troops on the night of Dec. 3, allegedly requesting police support for arrest operations targeting lawmakers. Some troops were dispatched toward the National Assembly in Seoul, while others moved to the National Election Commission headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yeo In-hyung was suspended from duty on Dec. 6 and subsequently detained as part of the investigation.
Park said a civilian-military advisory panel under the Defense Ministry is reviewing a restructuring plan that would transfer the Defense Counterintelligence Command’s investigative authority to a separate defense investigative body, while retaining only its core counterespionage duties.
The panel, established in September, has convened four times and will continue discussions next week. A final proposal is expected within the year.
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