A drone that North Korea claimed was sent by South Korea across the border into the North's Jangphung County in Kaesong on Sept. 27 is seen in this photo provided by the North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

Investigators on Friday referred three civilian suspects to prosecutors on charges of involvement in drone flights into North Korea, following the arrest of one of the suspects last week.

The joint team of police and military investigators sent the case to the prosecution on charges of benefiting the enemy, and violating laws on aviation safety and military installation protection, according to a police press notice.

The suspects, a graduate student in his 30s and two others who worked at a drone startup, are accused of flying drones into North Korea four times — once last September, twice last November and once in January this year.

The joint investigation was launched shortly after North Korea's accusations earlier this year that South Korea infringed on its sovereignty with drone incursions in September and in January.

Police believe the drones were programmed to fly from Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul, and travel over North Korea's border city of Kaesong and the central county of Pyongsan, before returning to the South's northern city of Paju.

Police investigators transport a seized object from the office of suspects accused of flying drones into North Korea at a university in Seoul, Jan. 21. Yonhap

The suspects also allegedly took photos of a South Korean Marine Corps base without permission during the flights.

"Since 2024, the three (suspects) colluded to develop a drone that would not be detected by South and North Korean low-altitude air defenses," police said, adding that the flights exposed military information to North Korea and harmed South Korea's military interests.

Last Thursday, a court issued an arrest warrant for the graduate student, surnamed Oh, citing risks of flight and evidence destruction. The other two have been referred to the prosecution without detention.

Source: Korea Times News