Overview

• North Korea's October 2023 complaint to the ICAO alleged South Korean drones entered Pyongyang airspace to distribute propaganda leaflets.
• The ICAO Council, comprising 36 member states, held a closed-door meeting on April 1, 2025, and unanimously dismissed the complaint.
• South Korea has consistently denied the allegations, accusing North Korea of politicizing the ICAO's mechanisms for civil aviation disputes.
• The dismissal is considered final under ICAO regulations, effectively closing the case with no further recourse available to North Korea.
• Both Koreas remain ICAO member states, marking this as the first formal aviation dispute between them within the organization's framework.