SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Jong Un said Friday it was “wise” for South Korean government officials to express regret over alleged civilian drone flights over the country but warned South Korea would strike back if such an incident happened again.
Kim Yo Jong’s statement came after South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed “deep regret” on Tuesday over the alleged flight incident and stressed that Seoul’s liberal government seeks “mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence” between the two rivals divided by war.
North Korea last month accused South Korea of threatening retaliation after launching two surveillance drone flights in September and January.
The South Korean government denies operating any drones within North Korea’s designated hours, but law enforcement is investigating three civilians suspected of flying drones into North Korea from border areas.
The development could further weaken Seoul’s prospects of pushing for a resumption of long-stalled talks with North Korea amid a deepening nuclear standoff.
Kim Yo Jong said the solemn remarks showed “sensible behavior” but were not enough as a government response and asked Seoul to take stronger measures to prevent similar activities in the future.
“I forewarn that the recurrence of such provocative acts that violate North Korea’s inalienable sovereignty will definitely provoke a terrible reaction,” she said, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the country’s official name.
“Various counterattack plans are on the table and there is no doubt that we will choose one of them and it will be disproportionate,” she said without elaborating.
The Ministry of Unification, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said the alleged drone flights violated the government’s principles of de-escalating tensions and planned unspecified measures to prevent similar incidents.
Analysts say North Korea’s drone accusations may be motivated by its efforts to stoke anti-South Korean sentiment ahead of a congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in late February. North Korea is likely to write into its party constitution the “two-state” system of hostility on the Korean peninsula declared by leader Kim Jong Un during the congress, for the first time in five years.
There have been no public negotiations between South Korea and North Korea since 2019, and drone flights are a source of animosity between the two countries.
