Seoul: The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong, has demanded that South Korea admit and apologize for what she termed a provocation violating North Korea's sovereignty. The demand follows accusations from Pyongyang that Seoul sent drones equipped with surveillance tools across the border into North Korea in September and again on January 4.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Yo-jong issued a statement through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), calling for Seoul to acknowledge and apologize for infringing on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) sovereignty. She insisted that the South Korean authorities should also take measures to prevent such incidents from occurring again.
Kim Yo-jong described the alleged breach as a "deed done by the enemy only" and issued a stark warning that Seoul would be "forced to pay the price they cannot deal with" if such provocations were repeated. She emphasized that North Korea's response to sovereignty violations would not be limited to proportional actions or mere declarations.
Furthermore, Kim, who serves as the vice department director of the ruling party's Central Committee, dismissed South Korea's efforts to ease tensions with North Korea as unrealistic. She rejected the possibility of improving inter-Korean relations, stating, "As far as Seoul's various hope-filled wild dreams called 'repair of DPRK-ROK relations' are concerned, they all can never come true."
The statement comes amid ongoing tensions, with a South Korean unification ministry official suggesting that North Korea might still be open to "communication," referring to Kim's prior remarks. Kim had earlier noted Seoul's suggestion that civilians could be behind the drone incidents, asserting that any unauthorized incursion, whether by military or civilians, was a violation of North Korean airspace and required explanation.
In response to North Korea's claims, the South Korean military denied deploying the drones or operating the models found in the North, indicating the possibility of civilian involvement and committing to an investigation into the matter.