Kim Yo-jong calls Lee’s apology wise but warns against contact

Apr 07, 2026, 03:14 pm

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Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea

Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea, on April 6 described President Lee Jae-myung’s expression of regret over a civilian drone incursion into North Korea as “fortunate and a wise decision for himself.”

Her statement came on the same day Lee issued the apology, drawing attention to the swift response from Pyongyang.

In a statement, Kim Yo-jong said that Kim Jong-un also evaluated Lee’s remarks positively, calling them “the attitude of a frank and magnanimous person.”

However, she made it clear that North Korea is not open to renewed engagement. “The South should not merely repeat words about peace and stability, but must halt all reckless provocations against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, even for its own security,” she said, adding that “any attempt at contact should be abandoned.”

Kim further warned that if similar incidents violating North Korea’s sovereignty occur again, the South would face consequences “that would be difficult to bear,” reiterating a previously issued warning.

Despite the rare positive acknowledgment of Lee’s statement, Pyongyang simultaneously drew a firm line against any improvement in inter-Korean relations, signaling continued tension on the Korean Peninsula.

#Kim Yo-jong #Lee Jae-myung #Kim Jong-un #North Korea #South Korea