Seoul issues denial as North Korea claims new drone incursions

Asia News Network: NORTH Korea stepped up pressure on South Korea over the weekend, claiming that South Korean drones had been flown over its territory an allegation immediately denied by Seoul, which has been seeking a breakthrough in stalled inter-Korean dialogue.

The exchange followed Pyongyang’s claim on Saturday that South Korea had infringed on its sovereignty through drone incursions in September and again in the past week. South Korea’s Defence Ministry rejected the accusation, saying the drones in question were not models operated by the South Korean military.

On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister and vice department director of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, reiterated the accusation, stressing that Pyongyang views the alleged drone intrusion as a provocation regardless of political leadership in Seoul.

Kim described Seoul’s initial response as a “wise choice”, but made clear it did not alter North Korea’s assessment of the incident.

She said it was “irrelevant whether the act occurred under the Yoon administration or the current Lee government.” She also rejected Seoul’s argument that the drone may have been operated by civilians, saying the essence of the issue lay not in “who operated the drone but in the violation of North Korea’s airspace itself”.

Her remarks, also published in the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party, were followed by Cheong Wa Dae’s statement that the Seoul government once again confirms that it has no intention of provoking or irritating the North Korean side.

Cheong Wa Dae said a joint military-police investigation would be conducted in addition to the military’s initial probe and pledged to swiftly release the results.