A target drone crashed during a live demonstration of Korea’s domestically developed laser air-defense weapon during the nation’s Armed Forces Day ceremony on Wednesday. The incident occurred during a military ceremony held on the runway at Gyeryongdae, the military headquarters complex in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province. President Lee Jae Myung, Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol and National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik were among the dignitaries attending the event. Four fiber-optic drones were deployed as targets in the demonstration, which was intended to show the Cheongwang laser weapon’s ability to intercept airborne threats. In the first sequence, one of two target drones lost balance and crashed during takeoff. The incident was captured in a close-up camera shot and broadcast live. According to the military, the drone, which is controlled using a thin fiber-optic cable rather than radio signals, crashed after strong gusts damaged the cable. Cheongwang had been expected to engage the two targets sequentially, but intercepted only the remaining drone. The second sequence