Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea [Photo courtesy of the Korean Central News Agency website]

Kim Yo Jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, stated on the 11th that "What is clear is the fact itself that drones from South Korea have violated our airspace," and added, "There must be a specific explanation of the reality."

In a statement released on the same day, Kim stated, "The essence of the situation does not lie in whether the perpetrator is military or civilian," according to the Korean Central News Agency.

She noted the South Korean Ministry of National Defense's statement the previous day, saying, "Personally, I would like to evaluate the official stance of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense that they have no intention of provoking or stimulating us as a wise choice for survival."

She further threatened, "If South Korea chooses to provoke us in the future, it will not be able to bear the terrible consequences that will result."

The Ministry of National Defense stated that regarding North Korea's claims of drone infiltration on April 4th and last September, they have no record of operating drones on those dates and will thoroughly investigate the possibility of them being civilian drones.

They added, "We have no intention of provoking or stimulating North Korea."

President Lee Jae-myung has also ordered the formation of a joint military-police investigation team to look into the possibility that civilians operated the drones.

A spokesperson for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army announced on the 10th through the Korean Central News Agency that they had shot down drones infiltrated by South Korea in September last year and April of this year, and threatened that they would pay a price for it. The photo shows a South Korean drone that crashed in Changpung County, Kaesong City, as claimed by North Korea. 

Kim also highlighted that the drones that infiltrated North Korea had the purpose of intelligence gathering.

She emphasized that the drones recorded aerial footage of uranium mines and North Korean border guard posts, stating, "Even if it was the act of a civilian organization or individual, the authorities, who are the subjects of national security, cannot escape responsibility."

She added, "If they try to argue that it does not constitute a violation of sovereignty because it was a civilian act, then perhaps you will witness the appearance of numerous flying objects launched by civilian organizations within the territory of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Kim stated, "The current authorities in Seoul are not qualified to criticize the Pyongyang drone infiltration incident, which was committed by the previous 'greedy' regime, as if it were someone else's business," adding, "Whose regime committed it is a matter to be discussed within their own house."

She emphasized, "Whether it was committed by the Yoon family or the Lee family, it is unequivocally a serious provocation by South Korea against the sacred and inviolable sovereignty of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Kim stated, "The South Korean authorities can never escape responsibility for this grave violation of sovereignty, and they must seriously consider the price to be paid."

Kim's statement was also reported by domestic media outlets, including the Rodong Sinmun, which is read by North Korean citizens.

An analysis suggests that the intention is to solidify the frame of 'hostility towards South Korea' in order to codify and institutionalize the policy of 'hostile relations between two states' at the upcoming 9th Party Congress.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at the Kyungnam University Institute for Far Eastern Studies, interpreted this as an intention to maintain the position that South Korea remains an unchanging enemy regardless of changes in government, and to pressure the South Korean government by portraying its attempts at peaceful coexistence as 'deception'.

Meanwhile, in her statement on the same day, Kim said, "In any case, this South Korea-originating drone intrusion incident has once again greatly helped us to solidify a clearer image of South Korea as a rogue state, a group of scum."

Kim Yo Jong had previously issued several statements criticizing the Lee Jae-myung administration, but expressions such as 'rogue state' and 'group of scum' appeared for the first time.