North Korea on Sunday acknowledged South Korea’s denial that its military was responsible for alleged drone intrusions as a “wise choice,” but warned that Seoul cannot evade responsibility for what Pyongyang called a grave violation of its sovereignty and demanded a detailed explanation of the aircraft that crossed the border.
– Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un and a senior official of the ruling Workers’ Party, said South Korea’s defense ministry acted prudently by publicly stating it had no intention to provoke or escalate tensions.
– she insisted that Seoul must still account for what she described as a South Korean drone that entered North Korean airspace.
– Kim concluded with a warning that if South Korea attempts to argue that civilian involvement means the incident does not constitute a sovereignty violation, North Korea may respond in kind.
– The remarks followed North Korea’s Saturday accusation that South Korea sent unmanned aerial vehicles into its airspace on at least two occasions, in Sept. 2025 and again in Jan. 2026, claiming the drones conducted surveillance of military and other sensitive sites.
– Pyongyang warned that Seoul would “never be able to evade responsibility” for what it said were actions escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
– South Korea’s defense ministry rejected the accusations, denied any military involvement and said President Lee Jae Myung had ordered an investigation into whether a civilian drone could have been responsible.
– The ministry added that it had no intent to provoke North Korea and would continue efforts to reduce tensions and build trust.
– “I personally evaluate it as a wise choice, at least for survival, that the ROK Ministry of National Defense officially clarified that it had no intention to provoke or irritate us,” Kim said.
– “There must be a concrete explanation regarding the actual identity of the drone that crossed the southern border of our Republic from South Korean territory.”
– Kim rejected any attempt by Seoul “to gloss the grave border-crossing infiltration” by arguing the drone was civilian or commercially assembled, saying such distinctions were irrelevant because the core issue was the violation of North Korea’s airspace itself
– “What is clear is the fact that a drone originating from South Korea intruded into our country’s airspace,” she noted.
– Kim claimed that data recovered from the drone included footage of sites she said were of intelligence interest to South Korea, including a uranium mine and tailings pond, the former Kaesong industrial complex and North Korean border guard posts.
– She also alleged that the drone contained flight plans and flight records, calling on Seoul to explain how such information came to be recorded.
– Kim warned that even if the incident were carried out by civilians rather than the military, the South Korean government would still bear responsibility as the authority in charge of national security.
– Kim referenced an instance in Oct. 2024, when North Korea accused South Korea of sending a drone over Pyongyang, saying Seoul had earned a reputation for what she called “impudence” and “unreasonable assertions.”
– “Whether it was done under the Yoon regime or the Lee regime makes no difference to us,” she said. “It is equally a grave provocation against the inviolable sovereignty of the DPRK.”
– Since taking office in June 2025, Lee has pledged to reduce tensions with the North and reopen communication channels, and his administration has criticized what it described as provocative actions under his predecessor.
– “If they attempt to evade responsibility by branding it a civilian act, they may come to witness the appearance of numerous flying objects launched by civilian organizations inside the DPRK,” she said.
– The incident had reinforced North Korea’s view of South Korea as “hooligans” and “trash.”