The North Korean regime warned this Friday that it will respond with “terrible” actions to any new entry of South Korean drones into its airspace, intensifying tension on the peninsula after the recent downing of an unmanned aerial vehicle near Kaesong.
The statement was made by Kim Yo Jong, a member of the leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea and sister of the North Korean dictator.
“I give advance warning that the repetition of a provocation such as the violation of the inalienable sovereignty of the DPRK will undoubtedly provoke a terrible response,” he said in a statement carried by the KCNA propaganda agency.
The message comes after the South Korean investigation into the January incident, when a drone from the south was shot down near the main border industrial hub.
Kim Yo Jong acknowledged that the South Korean authorities have taken “sensible” steps in expressing their regret over the event, but insisted that the violation of North Korean airspace is unacceptable under any circumstances.
“We do not care who was truly responsible for the infiltration of the drone into the airspace of the DPRK, whether it was an individual or a civil organization,” remarked the sister of the communist dictator.
The incident raised tension between the two countries at a time when the South Korean government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, is trying to move towards a phase of trust and peaceful coexistence with the Pyongyang regime.
The Seoul administration has opted for a conciliatory approach and has recognized the need to admit errors, such as the unauthorized sending of drones, which the president himself described as the result of a “vacuum” in the surveillance system.
South Korean authorities initially denied involvement in the January raid.However, a joint military and police task force announced this week that it is investigating three active-duty soldiers and an intelligence official in search of clarifying the facts.On Tuesday, investigators raided 18 headquarters, including the offices of the intelligence agency and the defense intelligence command.
Kim Yo Jong warned that any new similar attempt will not be tolerated and called on Seoul to take preventive measures.
“I warn the ROK authorities to pay attention to prevention so that such stupidity does not happen again,” he emphasized.
The North Korean regime insists that any violation of its sovereignty, regardless of the origin or motivation, will be responded to harshly.
Pyongyang’s reaction comes in a context of historical review in South Korea on the use of drones to provoke the North.Former President Yoon Suk-yeol, currently on trial and convicted for his attempt to impose martial law in 2024, faces legal proceedings for allegedly ordering drone flights for the purpose of generating a North Korean military response and justifying emergency measures.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Unification Ministry reiterated the current government’s willingness to move towards peaceful coexistence and stressed the importance of recognizing past mistakes.
Minister Chung Dong-young expressed “deep regret” at the beginning of the week for the sending of the drone, describing it as “fortunate” that the North Korean dictatorship has reacted with restraint.This gesture was valued by Pyongyang as an act of “sensible behavior,” although it made it clear that it does not exempt Seoul from its responsibility for what happened.
The future of inter-Korean relations remains uncertain.The public protests in Seoul and the parliamentary debate reflect a society divided between those who advocate reconciliation and those who demand firm responses to the threats of the North Korean regime.For now, Kim Yo Jong’s warning marks a hardening of Pyongyang’s tone and puts the peninsula on alert against the risk of a new military or diplomatic escalation.
(With information from AFP and Reuters)
