North Korea warns over civilian drone case

Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, warned on Feb. 13 that South Korean authorities must focus on preventing a recurrence of what she described as “foolish acts,” referring to a recent incident involving a civilian drone entering North Korean territory.

In a statement released the same day through the Korean Central News Agency, Kim described Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s expression of regret over the drone incident as “a relatively common-sense response” while issuing her warning. Her remarks marked a shift in tone. On Jan. 13, she had dismissed the Unification Ministry’s assessment that her earlier statement on the drone infiltration suggested room for renewed inter-Korean communication, calling it “a foolish daydream.”

In response, the presidential office in Seoul said it hopes the two Koreas can ease tensions through communication and restore trust and relations. The Unification Ministry said it would devise and immediately implement measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

Some analysts cautioned against interpreting Kim’s statement as a conciliatory message toward South Korea. Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the North characterized the drone incident not as a violation of the armistice agreement or inter-Korean accords, but as “a grave infringement of sovereignty involving an airspace violation under international law.” He added that Pyongyang appears to be using the episode to reinforce its position that inter-Korean ties should be treated as a “state-to-state” relationship.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party criticized the government, saying the response to Seoul’s expression of regret amounted to “a one-sided lecture and an explicit threat.” The party added that inter-Korean relations cannot be sustained through unilateral concessions.


이윤태 oldsport@donga.com