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North Korea has released photos claiming to show the wreckage of a drone identical to those operated by the South Korean military, which it says was found in Pyongyang. According to a statement from a spokesperson for North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on October 19 last year, the incident “has been clearly confirmed through decisive evidence and an objective, scientific investigation as a grave violation of sovereignty committed by the South Korean military thugs.” / Source: Yonhap News

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has dismissed North Korea’s request for an investigation into what it claims was a South Korean military drone intrusion into Pyongyang airspace. The move effectively ends any further discussion of the issue within the organization.

According to diplomatic sources on April 17, the ICAO Council recently held a closed-door meeting where it decided not to accept North Korea’s request for an investigation into the alleged incident, which was submitted as a formal agenda item.

North Korea had claimed last October that a South Korean drone had intruded into Pyongyang and requested an official investigation by ICAO, a UN specialized agency tasked with ensuring the safety and orderly development of international civil aviation. Both South and North Korea are members of ICAO.

Under ICAO rules and conventions, the Council is obligated to address issues raised by member states that are party to its agreements. However, the Council ultimately chose to reject the North’s request.

The South Korean government criticized the move by Pyongyang, stating, “North Korea is politicizing ICAO without providing any clear evidence,” and discussed internal countermeasures in response to the complaint.

Although initial expectations were that North Korea would escalate the issue through international bodies, its representative reportedly did not attend the ICAO Council meeting and has taken no follow-up action since filing the request.