
© Getty Images/Park Tae-hyun-Korea/Pyeongyang Press Corps
N. Korean soldiers look to Panmunjom, South Korea • N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un
I've visited North Korea six times, and studied it closely for years.
This is a country that never admits its mistakes, so for the North Korean leader to say sorry for his soldiers shooting a government official is a big deal.
North Korea, an already secretive and isolated country, has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by sealing itself off from the world even further, instituting tight border controls. It's therefore difficult to know how they are coping with things.
Yet in the midst of the silence, some equally unpleasant news emerged this week. It was reported that a
South Korean fisheries official had crossed into the North's territory by boat. Soldiers responded by capturing him, shooting him and burning his body with oil. Understandably, the abrupt news of the ugly killing provoked disgust and outrage in Seoul, and was
a massive slap in the face to a pro-peace administration which has been tolerant towards Pyongyang.
Only days before the incident, South Korean leader Moon Jae-in had called for a formal end to the Korean War. Who wouldn't be mad at this turn of events?
Yet the unfortunate news was met with an equally unusual response on North Korea's part. Its supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, swiftly issued an official apology to the South, saying the killing was a "disgraceful affair" and that he was "very sorry" for the incident and for "disappointing" his neighbour.
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