South Korea says drones 'invaded air space'.
South Korea accused the North of flying "several" drones across their shared border on Monday, prompting Seoul's military to deploy warplanes and fire warning shots to ward them off. "Our military first detected a North Korean unmanned aerial vehicle around the Gimpo airspace at 10:25 am (0125 GMT)," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. "Several North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles invaded our airspace" in the border areas around Gyeonggi province, it added. The incursion prompted Seoul to fire warning shots and deploy fighter jets and attack helicopters. One of the warplanes, a KA-1 light attack aircraft, later crashed in Hoengseong County, Yonhap news agency reported. The military did not indicate whether the objects had been shot down, or had gone back over the border, one of the most heavily-fortified locations in the world. But Yonhap reported that South Korean warplanes were trying to shoot down the drones, some of which reached airspace near the capital Seoul. Flights were temporarily suspended at Gimpo and Incheon international airports -- the country's two major hubs -- for about an hour at the request of the JCS, according to Yonhap, which cited an official from South Korea's transport ministry. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the incident marked the first time that South Korean flights were suspended over "the appearance of North Korean drones", adding they were likely for spying purposes. "Considering North Korea's poor level of drone development, there is little possibility that they carry the drone attack capabilities used in modern warfare," he added. "It is speculated that they came over to our area as part of reconnaissance training during the recent winter training." The incursion is the first time in five years that North Korean drones have invaded South Korean airspace and comes as Pyongyang has carried out an unprecedented blitz of weapons tests this year, including the launch of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet. (AFP)