SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a rare personal apology for killing a South Korean official to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The apology figured in a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in a day after Seoul officials said the North`s soldiers killed the man, doused his body in oil, and set it on fire. He was shot dead by North Korean troops after crossing a maritime border between the two countries.
“I am deeply sorry that an unexpected and unfortunate thing has happened in our territorial waters,” the North Korean leader said in a message, according to officials in the South. The statement added that North Korea has strengthened its maritime surveillance and apologized for “an incident that will clearly negatively impact inter-Korean relation.”North Korea says only a pool of blood remained on the floating object after the shots were fired. After soldiers presumed the man to be dead, they burned the floating object on-site per North Korea’s Covid-19 disease prevention measures. Apologies from Kim are rare, especially when it comes to apparent mistakes by the country’s military. The North Korean soldiers fired more than 10 shots at the man after he tried to flee without revealing his identity, Suh cited the North`s letter as saying. The deterioration in relations came after a years-long rapprochement led by South Korean President Moon Jae-in resulted in historic meetings between himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as summits between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
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