South Korea stages drills simulating downing of North drones

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea staged large-scale military drills Thursday to simulate shooting down drones as a step to bolster its readiness against North Korean provocations, three days after the North flew drones into its territory for the first time in five years.

South Korean planes and helicopters failed to bring down any of the five North Korean drones spotted south of the border Monday before they flew back home or vanished from South Korean radars. One of them traveled as far as northern Seoul. That caused security jitters in the South, for which the military offered a rare public apology Tuesday.

Thursday’s training involved land-based anti-air guns, drones playing the role of enemy drones, and a total of 20 fighter jets, attack helicopters and unmanned assets. While there was no actual live fire, it was still the country’s first set of major anti-drone drills since 2017, according to military authorities.

The drills near Seoul set up diverse scenarios of border infiltrations by small enemy drones, under which the mobilized South Korean military assets practiced how they could detect, track and shoot them down, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Also on Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reiterated his push to build a stronger air defense and get tough on North Korean provocations . The North’s drone flights followed its record number of missile tests this year that some experts say is part of an effort to pressure the United States and its allies to make some concessions like sanctions relief.

South Korean soldiers operate a short-range surface-to-air missile system during a military exercise in Yangju, South Korea, on Dec. 29, 2022. South Korea staged large-scale military drills to simulate shooting down drones as a step to bolster its readiness against North Korean provocations. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

“Whether they have nukes or whatever weapons of mass destruction they have, we must send a clear message to those who repeat provocations. We must not be frightened of [their nukes] and we must not hesitate,” Yoon said during a visit to a weapons development agency. “To obtain peace, we must prepare for a war that [we can win] overwhelmingly.”

Yoon said Tuesday his government will advance the planned establishment of a military drone unit and introduce high-tech stealth drones.

North Korea’s state media hasn’t commented on South Korea’s announcement of its reported drone flights. But some observers say North Korea likely sent those drones to test South Korean and American readiness. They say North Korea also likely assessed that drones could be a cheap, yet effective method to trigger security concerns and an internal divide in South Korea.

In response to the North’s drone flying, South Korea said it sent three of its surveillance drones across the border in a rare tit-for-tat measure. North Korea didn’t respond, according to South Korean defense officials.

South Korean soldiers operate a Vulcan automatic cannon during a military exercise in Yangju, South Korea, on Dec. 29, 2022. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

This week, North Korea’s ruling party is holding a key meeting to review past projects and determine policy objectives for 2023. During its third day Wednesday, leader Kim Jong Un expressed hopes that local Workers’ Party officials would report successes on their jobs and duties to live up to the party’s trust in them, state media reported Thursday, without elaborating on their tasks.

In an earlier session, state media cited Kim as setting forth new goals to solidify his country’s military power, an indication that he would continue his run of weapons tests.

韩国首尔——韩国周四举行大规模军事演习，模拟击落无人机，以加强应对朝鲜挑衅的准备。此前三天，朝鲜五年来首次向其领土发射无人机。

周一，韩国飞机和直升机未能击落任何一架在朝韩边境以南被发现的朝鲜无人机，这些无人机随后要么飞回朝鲜，要么从韩国雷达上消失。其中一架甚至飞到了韩国北部城市首尔。这引发了韩国国内的安全担忧，韩国军方周二罕见地就此事公开道歉。

周四的训练动用了陆基防空炮、扮演敌方无人机的无人机，以及总共20架战斗机、武装直升机和无人装备。虽然没有实弹射击，但据军方称，这仍然是该国自2017年以来首次举行的大规模反无人机演习。

韩国联合参谋本部在一份声明中表示，首尔附近的演习模拟了敌方小型无人机入侵边境的各种场景，韩国动员起来的军事力量演练了如何发现、追踪和击落这些无人机。

周四，韩国总统尹锡悦重申了他加强防空力量、严厉打击朝鲜挑衅的决心。此前，朝鲜进行了创纪录的导弹试验，一些专家认为，朝鲜此举意在向美国及其盟友施压，迫使其做出一些让步，例如解除制裁。

2022年12月29日，韩国士兵在韩国杨州举行的军事演习中操作短程地对空导弹系统。韩国举行大规模军事演习，模拟击落无人机，旨在加强应对朝鲜挑衅的战备能力。（韩国国防部供图，美联社发布）

尹锡悦在视察一家武器研发机构时表示：“无论他们拥有核武器还是其他任何大规模杀伤性武器，我们都必须向那些屡次挑衅的人发出明确的信息。我们绝不能惧怕他们的核武器，也绝不能犹豫不决。为了实现和平，我们必须做好打一场我们能够取得压倒性胜利的战争的准备。”

尹锡悦周二表示，他的政府将推进组建军事无人机部队的计划，并引进高科技隐形无人机。

朝鲜官方媒体尚未对韩国宣布的无人机试飞事件发表评论。但一些观察人士认为，朝鲜很可能派出无人机是为了测试韩国和美国的战备状态。他们还表示，朝鲜可能评估认为，无人机是一种成本低廉但有效的手段，可以引发韩国国内的安全担忧和分裂。

针对朝鲜无人机飞行活动，韩国罕见地采取了对等措施，派遣了三架侦察无人机越境进入朝鲜境内。据韩国国防官员称，朝鲜方面没有做出回应。

2022年12月29日，韩国士兵在韩国杨州参加军事演习时操作一门火神自动炮。（韩国国防部供图，美联社发布）

本周，朝鲜执政党召开重要会议，回顾过去项目并确定2023年的政策目标。据朝鲜官方媒体周四报道，在周三会议的第三天，领导人金正恩表示希望地方劳动党官员汇报工作进展，以不辜负党的信任，但并未详细说明他们的任务。

早些时候，官方媒体援引金正恩的话说，他提出了巩固朝鲜军事力量的新目标，这表明他将继续进行武器试验。