Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-joo, right, speaks during a press conference on North Korea's drone intrusion at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Left is Rep. Kim Young-bae, holding a map showing the drone's flight record. Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

The presidential office, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are in a battle over the source of a DPK lawmaker's claim that a North Korean drone entered a no-fly zone around the presidential office.

The presidential office and the PPP are raising questions about how DPK Rep. Kim Byung-joo could have obtained information to support the claim even before the military collected evidence and intelligence and reached the same conclusion, while the DPK is saying that the ruling bloc is conducting "political maneuvering."

DPK members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, including Kim, held a press conference on Friday and slammed the ruling bloc's suspicions.

"During a press briefing, the presidential office said it is suspicious about the information source (of Kim's claim) and PPP Rep. Shin Won-sik even claimed that 'The DPK is keeping contacts with North Korea,'" the lawmakers said.

"This is childish political maneuvering whereby the ruling party lawmaker is exploiting a rumor spread by the presidential office. We cannot help laughing at these poor McCarthyist offensives by the ruling bloc."

The lawmakers demanded that President Yoon Suk Yeol should apologize to the public.

A South Korean military drone flies over the East Sea, Thursday, when the military conducted a drone response training drill. Yonhap

A day earlier, the South Korean military confirmed that one of five North Korean drones that the North sent across the border on Dec. 26 briefly entered the 3.7-kilometer-radius no-fly zone surrounding the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, reversing its earlier stance that none of the drones had reached the zone.

After the confirmation, the presidential office raised the suspicion about how Rep. Kim could have made such claims at National Defense Committee meetings on Dec. 28 and 29, questioning how he could have obtained the information.

A senior official at the office said in a press briefing that "the military came to its conclusion that there is a high chance of a North Korean drone getting very close to the no-fly zone only on Jan. 3," and, "At the time that the opposition lawmaker (Rep. Kim) made his claim, neither the defense ministry nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) were aware of this."

"How come the lawmaker made his claim? And the authority is suspicious about the source of the information," the official said.

"Anyone who can read the map could think the drone could have breached the no-fly zone," Rep. Kim said during the press conference. "The source of my claim is the flight line, map and statements by the defense minister and JCS Chairman."

"I raised suspicions based on a line that linked the locations that the North Korean drone was spotted at, and is it such a groundbreaking suspicion that requires espionage with North Korea?"

In interviews with several media outlets, Kim explained further that he came up with the claim after overlapping the flight paths provided by the military and maps of the area, saying it is an outcome of deduction and it only took "30 minutes to reach that result."

Despite Kim's explanation, the ruling PPP still raised a question about the source of the information.

"Where did his magical powers come from?" said PPP Rep. Sung Il-jong, Friday. "He should clearly state how he could know that the drone passed Yongsan District and who gave that information to him."

PPP floor leader Joo Ho-young said the drone intrusion is not the sole failure of the military under the Yoon administration, and the previous Moon Jae-in administration of the DPK is also responsible.

"This is not the first time that North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles have trespassed the border," Joo said. "In 2017, North Korean drones hovered in South Korean airspace for 37 days and observed the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Yet, the Moon administration was not even aware of the intrusion."

Meanwhile, the presidential office is taking a cautious step in reprimanding the military, even though it also acknowledges the military has failed to make a proper response to the drone intrusion.

Another senior official at the office said, "As far as I know, the military is now taking its own scrutiny measures," and, "We should give them some time."