North Korea praises South Korea ‘regret’ over alleged drone flights in rare gesture

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister praised South Korean authorities for expressing “regret” over alleged drone flights into northern airspace, state-run media reported Friday.

Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the Workers’ Party of Korea, described recent remarks by South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young as “fortunate,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.

“I appreciate it as quite sensible behavior,” Kim said, while stressing that Seoul must take concrete measures to prevent any recurrence of what she called a “grave encroachment of sovereignty” by a South Korean drone.

Despite the conciliatory tone, she issued a warning, saying Pyongyang would not dwell on whether the drone was operated by “an individual or a civilian organization,” but cautioned that any future intrusion into North Korean airspace could provoke retaliation.

“Various counterattack plans are on the table and one of them will be chosen without doubt and it will go beyond proportionality,” she said.

Earlier this week, Chung expressed regret over drone dispatches from the South on Jan. 4 and in September, incidents Pyongyang alleged last month.

Hours after Kim’s statement, South Korea’s presidential office voiced hope for rebuilding mutual trust and easing tensions, Yonhap News reported.

“The two Koreas need to restore trust by easing tensions through mutual communication,” a senior presidential official said, adding that both sides “should refrain from actions that undermine the precious peace between them.”

The recent exchange between Seoul and Pyongyang is widely viewed as a constructive signal for strained inter-Korean relations, as the administration of Lee Jae Myung seeks to resume dialogue aimed at lowering military tensions and improving bilateral ties.