An explosion occurred during drone operation training at the Sinuiju Aviation Club in North Korea’s Uiju county on Oct. 4, when a controller and a drone exploded during a paired exercise. About 20 trainees were practicing at the club’s outdoor grounds when the incident occurred, though no deaths were reported.
According to a source in North Pyongan province on Oct. 25, two trainees were taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries, which were not life-threatening.
The Sinuiju Aviation Club said the accident was caused by faulty controllers and batteries, which were purchased in bulk from China in September.
Last month, the Sinuiju Aviation Club hired trading companies in the province to import a large number of drone parts, including batteries and chargers, from China with financial support from North Pyongan province’s party committee.
Provincial police investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the accident 20 days later. The trading company under the provincial trade administration bureau that imported the parts in question is reportedly cooperating with the investigation.
“Even if it turns out that the imported parts were defective, there’s little that can be done. Nothing that’s used in North Korea is completely domestically produced. People boast that the drones used by the trainees are domestically made, but if you look at the parts, most of them are imported,” the source said.
The Sinuiju Aviation Club has decided not to use any of the parts from the September bulk shipment from China until the cause of the accident is determined.
However, some members of the club believe that the measure is mostly a formality and unlikely to be strictly enforced. The trainees are expected to devote themselves to training in the month leading up to Aviation Day on Nov. 29.
After hearing about the accident, locals are expressing their fears about the possibility of another accident and their distrust of Chinese-made products.
“While locals are relieved that the accident didn’t cause as much damage as it could have, they are apparently worried that there could be another accident like this one day,” the source said.
“People have never been very trusting of Chinese-made goods, but that distrust has only grown. They’re waking up to the potential dangers of defective products from China.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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