North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, said on Monday that South Korean President Lee Jae‑myung’s expression of regret over a January drone incursion into the North was “very fortunate and wise behavior.”
Lee had earlier told Pyongyang he regretted the incident, which initially Seoul said was carried out by civilians. After an investigation, Lee said government involvement had been confirmed. “It has been confirmed that a National Intelligence Service official and an active‑duty soldier were involved,” he said, adding that South Korea’s constitution bans private acts that could “provoke the North.”
“The ROK president personally expressed regret and talked about a measure for preventing recurrence. Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behavior for its own sake,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. She called Lee’s remarks “a manifestation of a frank and broad‑minded man’s attitude.” Kim Yo Jong often comments on Pyongyang’s external policy and is believed to reflect her brother’s views.
Pyongyang had warned in February of a “terrible response” if more drones violated its airspace, prompting Seoul’s investigation. Lee said during a cabinet meeting that although the incursion was “not our government’s intention, we express our regret to the North over the fact that unnecessary military tensions were caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of some individuals.”
Lee has sought to mend ties with Pyongyang, but his overtures have frequently been rebuffed. The expression of regret follows a March policy address in which Kim Jong Un labeled Seoul “the most hostile state” and vowed to “thoroughly reject and disregard it.”
Edited by: Natalie Muller