North Korean leader's sister warns of retaliation if South Korean drones are found again

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North Korean leader's sister warns of retaliation if South Korean drones are found again

Published: 13 Oct. 2024, 02:54

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un [YONHAP]

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Saturday that Seoul will face a "terrible catastrophe" if South Korean drones are "found again."

Kim made the remark in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, just a day after the reclusive regime floated trash balloons toward South Korea, claiming that the South had sent unmanned drones over Pyongyang three times since last week.

"We have no interest in identifying the perpetrators of this drone provocation," she said. "However, we will be clear that if a drone carrying any anti-North Korean political propaganda trash from South Korea crosses across the border into our airspace again, we will retaliate with force, regardless of what it is."

Kim took issue with the South Korean military's stance that it "cannot confirm" the North's claims over the drones, saying the military's response essentially admits that it is either the "perpetrator or an accomplice of this incident".

She warned that South Korea should be prepared to the pay the price for its "repeated provocations," saying a "terrible catastrophe will occur if South Korean drones are found again."

On Friday, North Korea's foreign ministry claimed that South Korean drones carrying leaflets were detected in the night skies over Pyongyang on Oct. 3, as well as Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and threatened to respond with force if such flights occur once again.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, however, said he could not confirm the North's claim.

Yonhap