SEOUL, December 23. /TASS/. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea has switched to operation in emergency mode due to potential North Korean provocations in 2023 and early 2024, Yonhap reported.

According to the report, this decision was made during a board meeting on December 22.

"North Korea [might try to] provoke a split in the public opinion by disseminating false information. There is a probability of low-intensity provocations, such as wide-scale cyberattacks or a drone invasion," the NIS statement says.

The agency will monitor North Korea around the clock and will carry out an inspection of key security facilities.

On December 26, 2022, five North Korean drones invaded the South Korean airspace. One drone reached a no-fly zone over the presidential office in Seoul, while four others were maneuvering over an island west of the capital. South Korean forces fought the drones for about five hours but were unable to take them down. The drone that reached the capital managed to return, while the rest disappeared from radars.

On November 21, North Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite. On November 22, South Korea announced a temporary suspension of the inter-Korean agreement on reduction of military tensions. Later, Pyongyang announced that it no longer considers itself bound by this agreement.