Cheong "North Korea's Notice, Chairman Kim Jong-un Apologizes to South Korean Fellow Citizens" (Update)

Acknowledgment of Shooting of Missing Official, Claiming Burning Was Debris... Also Promised to Prevent Recurrence

The view of Cheongwadae from Namsan, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, expressed deep apologies to the southern compatriots through a notification sent to the Blue House. In particular, the North acknowledged that shots were fired at a man who crossed from the South but stated that the person who was burned was not a human but floating debris.

Seo Hoon, Director of the National Security Office, disclosed the contents of the notification issued in the name of the North Korean United Front Department during a briefing at the Chuncheon Press Center on the 25th. According to the Blue House, the North stated, "Comrade Kim Jong-un deeply apologizes to President Moon Jae-in and the southern compatriots for causing disappointment due to an unexpected unfortunate incident that occurred in our waters, which instead of helping the southern compatriots already burdened by the malignant virus, has caused trouble."

The North further stated, "The leadership considers that an incident that should not have happened occurred, and to prevent recurrence of such misfortunes, we will conduct maritime boundary surveillance and monitoring, recording the entire process to avoid any minor mistakes or misunderstandings during enforcement," adding, "We express our regret for the incident that occurred in our waters."