
© Getty ImagesNorth Korean drone
The South Korean military has said
it fired more than 100 rounds at a trespassing North Korean drone on Monday,
but failed to down it, according to Yonhap news agency. It is estimated that several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) remained in the South Korean airspace for seven hours.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff were quoted by local media after warplanes were scrambled to intercept the UAVs and a military helicopter attempted to use its 20mm gun to take out a drone.
The UAV had been spotted near Gyodong Island, to the northwest of Seoul and close to the North Korean border.
The military said it respected concerns that residential buildings could have been damaged, according to local media. The North Korean drones are said to have made evasive maneuvers in response to the attacks.
In total, Yonhap cited the military as saying that
it detected five North Korean drones, with one flying between the cities of Gimpo and Paju to Seoul's northwest, before going as far
as the northern part of the South Korean capital. After that, the aircraft returned to North Korea.
Comment: The Washington Examiner reports: