"7-Minute Flight in DMZ" Went Unnoticed: Baffling Mistake Nearly Handed North Korea a Pretext

An Army helicopter dispatched to fight a wildfire last March mistakenly entered the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and flew there for about seven minutes, it has been revealed.

The relevant Army units failed to detect the intrusion despite having a real-time helicopter positioning tracking system, and only became aware of the helicopter's entry into the DMZ after being notified by the Air Force.

According to the office of Representative Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party and military sources, an Army 5th Corps helicopter deployed on March 23 to fight a wildfire in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, was carrying out a firefighting mission in the area of responsibility of the 1st Corps.

The wildfire in the initially designated mission area had already been extinguished, but an investigation revealed that the pilot entered the DMZ while moving to put out another nearby wildfire spotted visually.

The DMZ, established as a buffer zone extending 2 km north and south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to prevent military clashes, is an area where military aircraft are prohibited from entering arbitrarily.

However, the helicopter flew inside the DMZ for about seven minutes at the time.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) investigation revealed that none of the relevant Army units detected the helicopter's entry into the DMZ during this process.

Although the Army possessed the Helicopter Air Position System (HAPS), which tracks the location of its helicopters in real time, the relevant units reportedly failed to properly monitor it.

The 1st Corps, which has jurisdiction over the area, mistook the helicopter in question for a civilian helicopter deployed for wildfire suppression.

The 5th Corps, to which the helicopter belonged, along with the Ground Operations Command overseeing frontline corps and the Army Aviation Command controlling Army aviation operations, also reportedly failed to properly check the helicopter's position.

It was the Air Force Master Control and Reporting Center (MCRC), conducting air surveillance via radar, that first detected the entry into the DMZ.

The investigation showed that the relevant units only recognized the helicopter's entry into the DMZ after the Air Force contacted the Army.

A military source stated that the situation could have served as a pretext for the North Korean military to mount provocations, such as anti-aircraft fire.

After investigating the circumstances of the incident, the JCS Combat Readiness Inspection Office requested disciplinary action against the relevant military bodies from the Army.

The 1st Corps and 5th Corps, which held direct responsibility for tracking and controlling the helicopter, received a "warning" sanction in July.

Earlier this month, Army Headquarters issued a "caution" to the Ground Operations Command and a "notice" to the Army Aviation Command.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Kim Kihyun | Graphics by Lee Sumin | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.