Yoon Strengthens Defence Posturing After North Korean Drone Incursion

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reprimanded his Defence Minister and vowed to strengthen South Korea's surveillance capabilities after five North Korean drones infiltrated the South's airspace earlier this week.

• An anonymous official told Yonhap News Agency that Yoon berated Minister Lee Jong-sup in the presence of other national security officials and ordered to improve South Korea's reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities.
• Another official told the outlet that Yoon had ordered an in-kind response when North Korean drones violated South Korean airspace, telling his aides to send two or three drones across the border for every drone sent by the North.
• In an unusual step, Yoon's office announced that he would be visiting the Agency for Defence Development (ADD) tomorrow. For security reasons, the details of such visits are typically kept confidential until they wrap up.
• Separately, the Defence Ministry said it would increase defence spending by an annual average of 6.8% over the next five years in order to develop "overwhelming" capabilities to deter and respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.