Civilian Evacuation Near Civilian Control Line Triggered by 'Unidentified Flying Object' Turns Out to Be U.S. Drone Drill

An unidentified flying object was detected in the border region of northern Gyeonggi Province today (July 30), causing residents living north of the Civilian Control Line to evacuate.

According to military authorities, the flying object turned out to be a U.S. drone conducting a drill.

According to residents north of the Civilian Control Line, text messages were sent to village heads at around 2:30 PM today, stating that a drone had been identified in the Cheorwon area and that residents must urgently move to nearby fallout shelters or outside the control posts.

Although no detailed explanation of the situation was provided, residents were instructed to evacuate along with an explanation that it was a real situation.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that at around 3:30 PM, about an hour after the evacuation notice was issued, the flying object was confirmed to be a U.S. drone.

An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained, "An unidentified flying object was detected in the northern Gyeonggi Province area south of the GOP, and normal measures were taken in accordance with operational procedures. Upon verification, it was confirmed to be a U.S. drone conducting a drill."

The South Korean military first detected the drone through surveillance equipment, but it was reportedly unable to determine whether the drone belonged to South Korea or the North Korean military.

The confusion may have occurred because the U.S. side's drone drill schedule was not properly notified to the South Korean military authorities.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are checking the flight path and other details regarding how the U.S. drone flew over the area.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.