On August 3, according to Xinhua news agency, an error in the coordination between the South Korean and US militaries caused South Korean forces to almost mistakenly intercept a US military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
The information was announced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea (JCS) after an internal investigation into the incident that occurred before the joint South Korea - US military exercise in Paju city, an area bordering the DMZ.
According to JCS, on July 29, the US military announced the flight plan of a UAV to an officer of the 1st Corps of South Korea via mobile text message. After receiving the notification, this officer replied that the flight did not encounter any restrictions.
However, this person did not report or forward information to superiors as well as relevant units because he believed that this was just a low-altitude UAV flight, within the scope of his unit's handling.
Investigation results show that this subjectivity led to information not being shared according to the correct procedure. When the US UAV actually flew at an altitude higher than expected, South Korean military units did not know that the flight had been approved.
Due to lack of flight plan data, South Korea's surveillance system identified this vehicle as an unidentified flying object. The military then deployed preparations to intercept it before discovering it was a US UAV and canceling the plan.
A JCS official said that the cause of the incident stemmed from not fully complying with the reporting process and the habit of informal information exchange between units at the operational level.
According to current regulations of the South Korean military, all military flight plans must be sent in writing in advance and approved by the Air Force Operations Command or the Ground Operations Command before deployment.
JCS emphasized that the incident is not related to technical errors of the air traffic control system or monitoring equipment, but mainly originated from errors in coordination and information sharing between units.
The incident occurred in the context of South Korea and the US regularly holding joint exercises near the Demilitarized Zone - one of the most sensitive military areas on the Korean peninsula. JCS said it will review the coordination process with the US to avoid repeating similar incidents in the future.
