SEOUL: Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has issued a stern warning to South Korea, threatening a “horrible disaster” if South Korean drones are found flying over Pyongyang.
In a statement released by North Korean state media KCNA, Kim Yo Jong criticized South Korea’s military response to North Korea’s recent accusations that South Korean drones had entered its airspace from Pyongyang.
On Friday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said South Korean drones had flown over the capital in nighttime operations over the past two weeks, prompting the North to consider retaliatory measures. However, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said they could not verify the allegations.
Kim Yo Jong highlighted the seriousness of the situation, saying: “The fact that drones were used to transport anti-North Korea leaflets is the most serious aspect of this recent incident. She added that the South Korean military would bear responsibility if it failed to detect non-governmental organization drones crossing the border with the North.
Tensions between the two countries have increased as North Korea has been sending trash-filled balloons across the border to South Korea since May. Pyongyang says the actions are retaliation against South Korean activists and North Korean defectors who send balloons carrying aid packages and leaflets criticizing Kim Jong Un’s leadership to the North.