North Korea warned that its response to a possible new entry of a South Korean drone into its airspace would be fierce, world agencies reported.
In January, a South Korean reconnaissance drone was shot down near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. South Korean authorities launched an investigation after the incident, and offices of South Korean intelligence services in Seoul were searched on Tuesday.
„I am giving a warning in advance. "The recurrence of such a provocation that violates the inalienable sovereignty of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will certainly provoke a fearful reaction," the North Korean leader's influential sister, Kim Yo-jong, said, according to the North's official KCNA news agency.
She stressed that violating North Korea's sovereignty is unacceptable under any circumstances.
"We don't care who is the real organizer of the drone's intrusion into the DPRK's territory, whether it is an individual or a civil organization," she said. "I urge the authorities of the Republic of Korea to pay due attention to prevention so that such a reckless act does not happen again," she added.
North Korea announced last month that it had shot down a drone equipped with "surveillance equipment" near the city of Kaesong, a few kilometers from the heavily fortified border with South Korea. Pyongyang demanded a "detailed explanation" from Seoul about the incident.
Photos released by the KCNA showed the remains of the drone and gray and blue components that appeared to be camera debris. The North Korean military said the device had captured "important targets" in border areas.
The KCNA also accused South Korea of sending a similar drone over Kaesong in September, saying it crashed after being neutralized by electronic jamming.
The South Korean military said it had nothing to do with the drones, which were a commercially available model that it does not use. Seoul initially suggested that civilians had organized the flights over North Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon condemned the incidents, stressing that such actions could trigger armed conflict between the two countries, which have never signed a peace treaty since the Korean War. Three civilians have been charged for their alleged role in the case. One of them publicly claimed responsibility, saying he sent the drone to measure radiation levels and heavy metal contamination around a uranium processing plant in Pyeongsan, North Korea.
South Korean authorities said on Tuesday they were also investigating three military personnel and an intelligence officer suspected of involvement in the drone launches.