ISTANBUL

South Korean investigators on Friday referred three civilian suspects to prosecutors over alleged drone flights into North Korea, according to local media reports.

The suspects were referred to prosecutors following the arrest of one of them last week, Yonhap News Agency reported.

A joint police and military investigation team forwarded the case to prosecutors, charging it with benefiting the enemy and violating laws on aviation safety and military installation protection.

Among the three suspects, one is a graduate student in his 30s, while the other two worked at a drone startup.

The inquiry was launched in January after North Korea accused South Korea of violating its sovereignty through drone incursions allegedly detected in September and again on Jan. 4.

Pyongyang condemned the alleged flights, calling them “another grave infringement upon the sovereignty of North Korea.”

Following the accusations, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered an investigation into the alleged drone incursions.