SEOUL -- A court of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for an executive director of a drone manufacturer who is accused of launching unmanned aerial vehicles into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to test performance for economic gains, local media reported.

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The Seoul Central District Court said there were concerns that the suspect would destroy evidence and flee. Joint military-police investigators alleged the suspect launched drones four times from Ganghwa Island in Incheon from September last year to January, with flight paths set to pass through Kaesong and Pyeongsan in the DPRK before returning to the ROK's Paju near the border.

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The investigators said the alleged acts heightened inter-Korean tensions and could have endangered the public, adding they may have harmed military interests by exposing sensitive information.