S. Korea denies DPRK's drone incursion claim

SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek on Saturday said allegations that South Korean drones violated the airspace of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) were "absolutely untrue," noting that the drone shown in photos released by Pyongyang was not a model operated by the South Korean military, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Ahn stressed that such an act would have been impossible given lingering sensitivities surrounding the country's past emergency martial law. He said that on the day in question, no flight training was conducted by South Korea's Drone Operations Command, Ground Operations Command or Marine Corps Command. He also said a joint investigation between South Korea and the DPRK into the incident could be conducted.

Yonhap cited South Korea's defense ministry as saying that it had confirmed that the military did not operate drones on the dates specified by Pyongyang.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has instructed authorities to carry out a thorough investigation, with relevant agencies currently verifying specific details.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army said in a statement that South Korea had again sent drones into the DPRK's airspace at the beginning of the new year.