Why North Korea threatens 'terrible response' over drone incursions

North Korea threatens retaliation over drone incursion

North Korea on Friday warned of a "terrible response" if another drone from the South crosses its borders, following Seoul’s announcement of an investigation into a cross-border incident last month.

South Korean authorities raided offices of the country’s intelligence agency on Tuesday, aiming to identify those responsible for a January incident in which Pyongyang said it shot down a surveillance drone near its industrial hub of Kaesong.

"I give advance warning that reoccurrence of such provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of the DPRK will surely provoke a terrible response," Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

While acknowledging that Seoul had taken "sensible" steps after the January incursion, Kim stressed that any violation of North Korea's sovereignty was unacceptable.

"We don't care who the very manipulator of the drone infiltration into the airspace of the DPRK is and whether it is an individual or a civilian organization," she added.

The incident has escalated tensions and could undermine efforts by Seoul to improve relations with Pyongyang.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to repair ties with the nuclear-armed North, promising to halt drone flights that occurred during the previous administration.

Although South Korea initially denied any involvement, a joint military-police task force announced earlier this week it is investigating three active-duty soldiers and one intelligence agency staffer to "thoroughly establish the truth."

Investigators carried out raids at 18 locations, including the Defense Intelligence Command and the National Intelligence Service, as part of the ongoing probe.

In her statement, Kim warned Seoul that such incidents would not be tolerated.

"I warn the ROK authorities to pay heed to prevention so that such a foolish deed would never recur again inside their country," Kim said.

The North Korean military charged that the downed drone was carrying "surveillance equipment" and had stored footage of "important targets."

Photos showed the wreckage of a winged craft scattered across the ground next to a collection of grey and blue components.

South Korea's disgraced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was accused of using unmanned drones to scatter propaganda leaflets over North Korea in 2024.

South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has previously suggested the incursion may have involved government officials still loyal to Yoon.

Three civilians have already been charged over their alleged role in the drone scandal.