South Korea's Closed Training Session Disrupted by Suspected Drone Spy Incident Ahead of Mexico Clash

The South Korean national team's closed training session ahead of their match against Mexico was disrupted by an unidentified drone suspected of attempting to spy on the team's preparations.

During South Korea's training session on June 17, an unidentified drone appeared above the team's base camp. The drone was reportedly operated by two unidentified men from a nearby residential area surrounding the training ground, and is believed to have been used to observe the team's training activities.

South Korea were conducting a 90-minute closed-door training session at Chivas Verde Valle Training Center in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, as they prepared for their Group A second-round World Cup clash against Mexico.

However, while the players were warming up, an unauthorized drone was spotted flying above the training pitch. A South Korean team official confirmed that the team's security personnel detected the drone. Mexican military personnel responsible for securing the team's base camp subsequently deployed signal-jamming equipment and successfully brought the drone down.

South Korean officials immediately coordinated with local police and military personnel to reach the crash site, but the operators had already recovered the drone and fled the scene. According to reports, the team's in-house video staff captured footage of the suspects retrieving the drone and escaping.

FIFA security officers stationed at the venue promptly requested an investigation from Mexican authorities. The South Korean Football Association has also reported the incident to FIFA and asked for assistance in preventing similar occurrences in the future.

Fortunately, the drone was detected before the team's tactical training session began, meaning South Korea are not believed to have suffered any significant tactical information leak.

Both South Korea and Mexico won their opening Group A matches and will face off in the second round on June 19 at Guadalajara Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Beijing time.