Nighttime helicopter drills over Seoul's presidential complex raise local concerns

On Tuesday evening, a squadron of helicopters circled the Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul as part of a nighttime training operation by the Capital Defense Command, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The ministry noted that such exercises are sometimes held when the head of state is traveling abroad; President Lee Jae Myung was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Local inhabitants near the presidential compound said the noise was louder and more persistent than usual, evoking memories of the December 2025 martial-law deployment of helicopters to the National Assembly under President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Officials declined to provide details on the number of aircraft or specific flight paths. No wider disturbances were reported, and the drills concluded without incident.