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Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek speaks during a conference of major military commanders at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, on December 3. / Courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

The Ministry of National Defense has begun investigating the Republic of Korea Army’s Psychological Operations Unit (PsyOps) amid allegations that it conducted unauthorized anti-North Korea leaflet operations, following a directive from Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek.

According to military sources on December 5, the ministry’s Defense Inspection Headquarters recently summoned former and current commanders of the PsyOps unit to question them about the circumstances surrounding alleged leaflet missions. Investigators also visited front-line PsyOps installations to conduct on-site inspections.

The inquiry focuses on allegations that, under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the PsyOps unit carried out concentrated leaflet drops targeting North Korea without reporting the missions to higher military commands. Investigators are examining whether proper reporting procedures were followed and how the leaflet operations were executed.

The PsyOps unit, a subordinate organization directly under the Ministry of National Defense, is responsible for psychological operations toward North Korea through radio broadcasts, loudspeakers and leaflet distribution.

The probe was triggered after a former enlisted soldier from the unit told media outlets that between October 2023 and early December 2024, the PsyOps unit conducted repeated leaflet drops without higher-level reporting — actions he claimed were effectively designed to provoke North Korean retaliation.