The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that the recent U.S. drone incident was caused by a communication error among personnel regarding airspace control procedures.
According to the investigation, a U.S. military staff member notified the Army's 1st Corps of the flight plan via text message just a day before the training exercise. The staff member failed to relay this information to superiors, leading to the confusion. The military stated that it would enhance communication systems between the two sides following this incident.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff official spoke with reporters on August 3, revealing the findings of the readiness inspection. The official stated, “We identified that the failure of the reporting system according to the command hierarchy and the non-compliance with the official special use airspace flight authorization procedures were the causes.”
The official added, “This incident confirmed the necessity of adhering to the airspace control procedures between the U.S. and South Korea. We plan to improve our coordination based on close communication moving forward.”
The investigation revealed that on July 29, the day before the training, the U.S. military staff member informed the 1st Corps staff about the drone flight plan via text message.
The staff member reportedly responded to the U.S. side that there were “no restrictions” but did not report or relay this information to superiors. It was believed that the U.S. notification was considered a matter of discretion within the 1st Corps, as it involved drone flights below a certain altitude.
However, the U.S. drone flew at a high altitude, and South Korean military authorities classified it as an “unidentified flying object,” preparing to intercept it under the “Cranes” air defense operation readiness protocol.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff official stated, “The 1st Corps staff member mistakenly approved the U.S. drone flight plan as a matter of discretion, thinking it was a low-altitude issue, and did not report or relay it further.” The staff member reportedly kept this information to themselves without informing superiors within the 1st Corps.
The drone operated near the U.S. military's Story Range, approximately 3.7 kilometers south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
There had been precedents for low-altitude drone training in the area, and there were instances where such operations were approved at the corps level. However, this was the first time a drone had conducted high-altitude flight training.
The U.S. military also failed to follow established procedures when notifying the South Korean military about the drone flight plan, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. To obtain special use airspace flight authorization, a formal notification must be submitted in writing a certain period in advance, but this was replaced by a text message between personnel just a day before the training.
It appears that this type of communication has been a customary practice between U.S. and South Korean personnel.
Additionally, the authority to approve drone flights in border areas is designated to the Air Force Operations Command for flights above a certain altitude and to the Army Ground Operations Command for those below. The training in question required approval from the Air Force Operations Command.
However, the U.S. military notified a staff member from the 1st Corps, which was not the correct unit, and conducted the drone flight based solely on a text response from the South Korean military staff member, without the necessary approval from the appropriate unit (Air Force Operations Command).
The military stated that it would work to improve the airspace control coordination system between the U.S. and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it has suspended the commander of the 1st Corps, where the drone incident occurred, to investigate the matter.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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