South Korea reviews near-shootdown of US drone near North Korea border
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- South Korean military inspectors will visit an army corps on Friday (July 31) to review an incident in which troops nearly shot down an unidentified aircraft near the border with North Korea.
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the aircraft was later identified as a U.S. drone taking part in a joint exercise.
Why it matters: South Korean gunners misidentifying an allied U.S. drone as a hostile aircraft near the North Korean border reveals a serious identification gap that, in a real crisis, could trigger an accidental exchange with U.S. forces.


