North Korea’s Kim Jong Un issues rare apology for killing of South Korean official

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un reportedly offered a rare apology over the killing of a South Korean official, calling it a “disgraceful affair”. According to South Korea’s presidential office, Kim sent a letter to South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, acknowledging that the incident should not have happened. 

“I am deeply sorry that an unexpected and unfortunate thing has happened in our territorial waters that delivered a big disappointment to President Moon Jae-in and the people of the South,” Kim was quoted as saying by the Blue House.

Seoul had said that the 47-year-old man was found floating in the North’s waters and was then shot, triggering outrage in the South. North Korea confirmed the shooting to South Korea but denied burning the victim’s body as alleged by Seoul officials. Citing North’s account, South Korea's director of national security Suh Hoon told a press briefing that the troops burned the carrying him “under national emergency disease prevention measures.”

“Our soldiers fired about 10 shots at the illegal intruder, based on a decision made by our ship’s captain and according to operational guidelines of maritime security,” the message read.

The recent incident is expected to exacerbate the already-strained relations between Seoul and Pyongyang. The tensions between the two nations have been rising ever since Pyongyang blew up a joint liaison office in Kaesong. The rival countries have suspended exchange and cooperation programme amid a deadlock in nuclear diplomacy between North Korea and Washington. 

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North's reputation

Human rights organisations have always denounced North Korea as one of the most repressive countries and a UN Commission of Inquiry found that the government committed gross, systematic and widespread rights abuses, including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. US President Donald Trump told investigative journalist Bob Woodward that Kim ordered the execution of his uncle and displayed the headless body to senior North Korean officials.

The Pulitzer-winning journalist has cited the interview in his new book ‘Rage’ as Trump boasted that the North Korean leader tells him everything. Jang Song Thaek, Kim’s uncle by marriage, was a powerful figure but was purged on the charges of treason and corruption in 2013 as the North Korean leader asserted his newly-acquired authority. There has been no official confirmation from the North Korean regime to date on how Jang was executed.

“He killed his uncle and he put the body right in the steps...and the head was cut, sitting on the chest," said Trump, according to the excerpts from the book.

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