Wi Song-lak, a top adviser to South Korean President I Jae-myong, vowed on Wednesday to punish anyone found responsible for the recent alleged drone violation of North Korea’s airspace. He also did so in response to Pyongyang’s request for an apology. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- South Korea has promised to punish those responsible for airspace violations.
- North Korea considers the drone incident a serious provocation.
- South Korea denied military involvement, the drone could have been civilian.
- South Korea’s president has ordered a joint military-police investigation.
Kim Yo-jong: North Korea considers this incident a serious provocation
The DPRK announced over the weekend that in early January it shot down a drone that flew across the border with South Korea near the North Korean city of Käsong. Seoul responded by saying that the type of drone shown in the DPRK photos was not used by its military.
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rejected a chance to improve relations with Seoul on Tuesday, demanding an apology from the southern neighbor for allegedly violating airspace. At the same time, she said that North Korea considers this incident a serious provocation. She also warned that for repeated violations, Seoul “will pay a price it will not be able to bear.”
South Korea has denied any involvement, but has also admitted to the possibility that the drone could have been operated by civilians, a point echoed by National Security Adviser Wi Song-lak on Wednesday.
Wi: Neither the army nor the government carried out this operation
“Our findings so far indicate that such an operation was not carried out by either the military or the government,” Wi said. “So we have to investigate whether someone from the civilian sector could have done it,” he added.
Wi also noted that despite criticism from Pyongyang and its demand for an apology, North Korea has sent several drones of its own to South Korea. “There have been incidents where their drones have fallen near the Blue House and others that have reached Jongsan,” he said, referring to current and former presidential residences. “These are also violations of the ceasefire,” he emphasized.
South Korean President Jae-myong I ordered a joint military-police investigation into the case. Any involvement of civilians would be “a serious crime that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he warned.
