South Korean president says an apology may be warranted over the Yoon-era North Korean drone incident.

SEOUL, Dec 3 — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said today he believes an apology to North Korea may be warranted over allegations that his predecessor ordered drones and propaganda leaflets to be sent across the border.

“I feel I should apologise, but I hesitate to say it outright,” he said at a news conference marking one year since former president Yoon Suk Yeol briefly threw the country into turmoil by declaring martial law.

“I worry that doing so could be exploited for ideological attacks or accusations of being pro-North.”

Lee’s remarks stem from claims that Yoon instructed the military to fly drones over Pyongyang and drop anti-North leaflets in a bid to provoke a military reaction — a move that could have bolstered Yoon’s justification for declaring emergency martial law.

Prosecutors last month indicted the disgraced former president on charges of aiding the enemy, alleging that Yoon and others “conspired to create conditions for declaring emergency martial law, heightening the risk of inter-Korean military confrontation and harming public military interests”.

North Korea had claimed last year that it obtained proof of South Korean drones dropping propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang, though Seoul’s military has not confirmed the incident. — AFP