The South Korean military conducted drills to strengthen its defence against potential drone-based provocations by North Korea, after Seoul admitted that it failed to shoot down five drones.
The South Korean military conducted drills Thursday to strengthen its defence against potential drone-based provocations by North Korea, as it has vowed to adopt an "aggressive" approach to counter the renewed security challenge, South Korea's News Agency (Yonhap) quoted Seoul officials as saying.
The drills were arranged after the military failed to shoot down five North Korean drones that violated the South's air space on Monday, in an infiltration that raised questions over its readiness posture.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol criticised the military response to the border breach by North Korean drones, stressing that he would seek to push for the establishment of a military unit specialised in drones.
In a midterm defence blueprint released Wednesday, the South Korean defence ministry said it plans to spend 560 billion won (USD 441 million) over the next five years for a set of anti-drone projects, including the deployment of a laser weapons system.
They were expected to focus on mobilising army choppers, air force aircraft and detection devices for an integrated operation based on scenarios of border infiltration by the North's unmanned aerial vehicles.