North Korea released a photo on October 19, 2024, claiming it had discovered wreckage of a drone identical to those used by the South Korean military in Pyongyang. / Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap

An internal military whistleblower has revealed that Lieutenant General Kim Yong-dae, commander of the military’s Drone Operations Command, significantly restricted operational information sharing within the command after allegedly receiving repeated orders from former President Yoon Suk-yeol to send unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Pyongyang. The testimony suggests Kim was aware that the drone missions were abnormal and possibly illegal, according to materials obtained by Special Counsel Cho Eun-seok, who is investigating Yoon on charges of treason and foreign aggression.

According to the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Boo Seung-chan, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee on July 3, the special counsel’s team obtained an audio recording of an active-duty officer familiar with the Drone Operations Command. In the recording, the officer testifies that the initial drone mission to Pyongyang was planned by the command staff, and Kim instructed trusted battalion commanders to carry out the operation. However, following pressure from “the VIP,” referring to former President Yoon, and then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Kim reportedly began feeling pressured and reduced the number of personnel involved, excluding most staff and operating in a more secretive manner.

The controversial drone missions came to public attention after North Korea claimed that South Korean UAVs infiltrated Pyongyang and dropped anti-regime leaflets on October 3, 9, and 10 of last year. The South Korean military has officially said that it cannot confirm whether such operations took place. However, internal testimonies from the drone command suggest that UAVs were indeed sent to North Korean airspace in October and November of last year, allegedly with the intention of “provoking a North Korean military response.”

The special counsel team have reportedly secured additional recordings in which an active-duty officer claims the operations were carried out under Yoon’s explicit instruction. According to the officer, Yoon ordered the missions to be carried out without informing the Ministry of National Defense or the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The testimony stated that “both Yoon and the defense minister applauded the results" and were so pleased that they "instructed the commander to repeat the operation,” and also said that “additional drones were sent to North Korea in November.”

The materials the special counsel team have secured also include testimony indicating that Commander Kim deliberately excluded junior officers from operational briefings, allowing only lieutenant colonels and above to be aware of the missions. The special counsel team interpret this as evidence that Kim knew the missions were irregular and may have carried them out reluctantly under pressure. On June 30, further testimony was made public at the National Assembly, revealing that Kim had directly phoned a field grade officer to give instructions on the drone operation.

Analysts suggest that Kim’s decision to limit access to operational information may have been part of broader efforts to tighten internal security of the Drone Operations Command ahead of an alleged plan to declare martial law on December 3. When asked during a plenary session of the National Defense Committee on December 10 last year who had given the order to send drones to North Korea, Commander Kim responded, “I cannot confirm that.” With multiple testimonies and recordings now in hand, the special counsel team are expected to soon summon Kim and other key personnel from the Drone Operations Command for questioning.