The Ministry of National Defense has relieved Army 1st Corps Commander Han Ki-sung of his duties, holding him responsible for a recent incident involving the misidentification of a U.S. military drone and frontline units conducting patrols without live ammunition.

According to the investigation, the incident on July 30 near the armistice line—where a U.S. Marine Corps drone was mistaken for a North Korean drone—occurred because an officer belonging to the 1st Corps failed to report the flight notification provided by the U.S. side.

It was also revealed that the 1st Corps had changed its guidelines at the corps commander's discretion, deploying troops on guard duty without loading live ammunition.