SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for an executive director of a drone manufacturer who is accused of launching unmanned aerial vehicles into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to test performance for economic gains, local media reported.

These images taken on January 4, 2026 and released as a combo image by DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on January 10, 2026 shows wreckage of a drone that North Korea claims originated from South Korea, and brought down by specialised electronic warfare assets after violating DPRK's airspace. (File photo: AFP)

The Seoul Central District Court said there were concerns about the suspect destroying evidence and fleeing. Joint military-police investigators alleged the suspect launched drones four times from Ganghwa Island in Incheon from September last year to January, with flight paths set to pass through Kaesong and Pyeongsan in the DPRK before returning to South Korea's Paju near the border.

The investigators said the alleged acts heightened inter-Korean tensions and could have endangered the public, adding they may have harmed military interests by exposing sensitive information.