Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — North Korea escalated tensions on Saturday (October 19, 2024), claiming it had recovered debris from a South Korean military drone that crashed, vowing retaliation and further heightening the standoff on the Korean Peninsula.
According to North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, the drone was allegedly used to drop leaflets over Pyongyang. The same type of drone was reportedly seen earlier in the month, distributing “political propaganda and slanderous materials”.
“If any more violations of DPRK’s air, land, or water are confirmed as military acts by the ROK, they will be regarded as serious military provocations against the DPRK’s sovereignty, a declaration of war, and an immediate retaliatory strike will follow,” KCNA warned, citing Reuters.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a high-ranking government official, asserted on Thursday (October 17, 2024) that Pyongyang had “clear evidence” that South Korea had violated North Korean airspace.
South Korea has not confirmed whether its drone crossed the border. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Colonel Lee Sung-jun, told reporters this week that the issue is “something North Korea needs to clarify.”
North Korea has increasingly ramped up hostile rhetoric in recent months, accusing its southern neighbor of “provocations.” This week, North Korea demolished parts of a road leading to South Korea and vowed to “completely sever” ties, turning the border region into an “eternal fortress.”
In January, Kim Jong-un proposed abandoning long-standing reunification commitments and declared South Korea the “principal enemy.”
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The current tension contrasts with a period of diplomatic outreach in the late 2010s, when U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to de-escalate the peninsula’s volatility. However, the 2019 summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi collapsed without a deal, with both sides blaming each other for making unrealistic demands. Since then, Pyongyang has ramped up missile testing, while the U.S. has increased joint military exercises with South Korea.
(Becky)
