Seoul, April 7 – The South Korean unification ministry on Tuesday described North Korea's swift response to President Lee Jae-myung's expression of regret over unauthorized drone flights by South Koreans as "significant progress" towards establishing peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.
Late Monday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement saying her brother assessed Lee as "frank and open-minded," approximately 10 hours after Lee expressed regret over the unauthorized drone flights at a Cabinet meeting.
The unification ministry said Kim's statement indicated that the leaders of the two Koreas had effectively communicated the need to stop actions that heighten unnecessary military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
"We have assessed this as significant progress towards establishing peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula," a ministry official said.
"There is no reason for the two Koreas to be hostile to each other, and hostility and confrontation do not benefit either side."
The official said the government will firmly adhere to the principle of not taking any hostile actions towards North Korea, vowing to pursue a policy of promoting peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, according to Yonhap news agency.
In Kim's latest statement, North Korea called Lee "the president of the Republic of Korea." This is believed to be the first time that the North has used Lee's official title since the Lee government took office in June last year.
In late 2023, the North's leader declared inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other," vowing not to seek reconciliation and unification with South Korea.
Experts said North Korea's swift response to Lee's expression of regret over the drone flights appears to indicate that Pyongyang still attaches importance to inter-Korean relations despite its hostile stance toward Seoul.
Three individuals – a graduate student in his 30s, an employee of the National Intelligence Service, and a military officer – were indicted last week over flying drones into North Korea between last September and January.