Military authorities have admitted that there were insufficiencies in information sharing and cooperation between the Army’s First Corps that first detected last month's North Korean drone incursion and the Capital Defense Command(CDC) tasked with defending Seoul.

In a text notice to reporters on Sunday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) made the acknowledgement for the first time following claims by the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) that the drone detection was not properly conveyed to the CDC.

The JCS refuted the claim that the military recognized the drone six minutes after its initial detection, saying the drone was still north of the border when its unusual flight path was reported to the authorities six minutes after it was first spotted.

As for the military issuing a readiness posture over an hour and a half later, the JCS said appropriate responses had been taken, including enhanced air surveillance, an aerial deployment of troops and the combat preparation of air defense weapons on the ground.

On December 26, five North Korean drones infiltrated South Korean airspace, with one making it as far as the northern part of Seoul. Attempts by the South’s military to neutralize the drones were ineffective, prompting criticism from the DP.