North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered a rare apology to South Korea after his soldiers killed one of its citizens a few days ago and "burned his body" in the sea, in an incident that angered the southern neighbor.
In a letter sent on behalf of the ruling party in Pyong Sang to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the contents of which were revealed on Friday, Kim expressed his regret for the killing of the man, an official in the marine fisheries sector in South Korea, describing what happened as inappropriate and unexpected. It happened, according to what was reported by the South Korean Yonhap News Agency.
According to the agency, the northern leader said he felt sorry for the accident causing disappointment to President Moon Jae-in, and those he described as southern brothers.
In the message that was read by the South Korean National Security Adviser, Kim apologized for what he described as the disappointment that the accident caused to the president and people of South Korea instead of helping them confront the malicious Corona virus.
According to Agence France-Presse, it is extremely rare for North Korea - and even Kim personally - to apologize.
The message comes amid stalemate in inter-Korean relations, and amid stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
The incident that took place at the disputed maritime border between the two countries is the first killing operation carried out by North Korean forces against a citizen of the southern part in a decade.
North Korean soldiers on a boat at the border with China (Getty Images)
The circumstances of the incident
acknowledged the message sent by the North Leader to his South Korean counterpart by firing 10 bullets at the South Korean man, whom Seoul suggested on Thursday that he might have intended to defect and cross towards North Korea.
It stated that he entered North Korean waters irregularly, and refused to identify himself appropriately, before attempting to flee, indicating that border guards shot him in accordance with the orders applied in this regard.
While the South Korean account states that North Korean soldiers burned the man's body after killing him as a precaution to prevent the Coronavirus, Kim's message stated that they only burned the float device that he used to reach the North Korean side.
It also stated that the soldiers found only a floating instrument with traces of blood on it, and that the man’s body had disappeared after being shot.
Military officials in Seoul reported that the man was interrogated for several hours while at sea, and expressed his desire to defect, but he was killed "by order of the higher authorities" in North Korea.
The man, who was wearing a life jacket, disappeared from a ship patrolling near Yeonpyeong Island on the western border last Monday, and North Korean forces found him in the northern waters after about 24 hours.
According to South Korean media reports, the dead man is in his forties, and he has two sons, but he recently divorced his wife and was suffering from financial problems.
Yesterday, Seoul condemned what it considered a brutal act, and said that it would seek clarifications from Pyongyang, and pledged to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of the South Korean citizen.