NORTH KOREA PROMISES RETALIATION AFTER ACCUSING SOUTH KOREA OF FLYING DRONES ACROSS THE BORDER. (PHOTO).

 North Korea promises retaliation after accusing South Korea of flying drones across the border

 North Korea’s military accused South Korea of sending drones across the inter-Korean border this week and warned Saturday that Seoul would face consequences for what it called “unpardonable hysteria.” The claim was quickly denied by South Korea, but the incident threatens to further complicate efforts by South Korea’s government to rebuild ties with its northern neighbor.

According to North Korea, its forces used electronic warfare tools on Sunday to bring down a South Korean drone near a border town. The drone, the North said, was equipped with two cameras filming unspecified locations. North Korea also claimed that a drone flown into its airspace on Sept. 27 had been forced to crash after electronic interference and contained video data of key sites. “We strongly denounce the hooligans’ serial outrageous encroachment upon our sovereignty and undisguised provocative acts against us,” the North Korean statement said, adding that South Korea’s military would “pay a dear price for their unpardonable hysteria.”

South Korea’s Defense Ministry denied operating drones at the times cited and said it does not even have the types of drones North Korea described. Senior ministry official Kim Hong-Cheol said authorities will investigate whether civilians could have flown the drones and emphasized that South Korea has no intention of provoking the North. He added that Seoul will continue efforts to build trust between the two Koreas.

Since taking office in June, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pursued reopening talks and reconciling with North Korea, but Pyongyang has largely rebuffed his overtures. During a recent summit, Lee asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to mediate tensions, and Xi called for patience.

North Korea has largely avoided direct talks with South Korea and the U.S. since its nuclear diplomacy with former President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 over sanctions disputes. Since then, Pyongyang has focused on advancing its nuclear capabilities and has declared a hostile “two-state” approach aimed at ending relations with South Korea.

Drone activity has been a recurring source of tension. In October 2024, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets three times, a claim Seoul could not confirm. In the past, South Korea has also accused North Korea of sending drones into its territory, including an incident in December 2022 when Seoul fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets, and deployed surveillance drones in response to what it described as the North’s first drone flights across the border in five years.