North Korea has accused South Korea of crossing the disputed maritime border in search of the body of a South Korean official killed by North Korean troops last week.
South Korea has denied the allegations, but warned on Sunday that the incident could escalate tensions.
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“We urge the South to immediately stop the infiltration of the military demarcation line in the West Sea,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported. “It raises our proper vigilance because it could lead to another horrific event.”
South Korea’s military and coast guard have responded to claims of infiltration by North Korea, saying their ships and planes have been searching for water south of the border since Friday in a bid to retract the bodies of officers.
A South Korean naval boat patrols near the South Korean island of Yanpaying on Sunday. (AP by Baek Sing-Reul / Yonhapp)
Seoul officials say the 47-year-old, presumably, was trying to malfunction before North Korean soldiers aboard the boat shot him dead and burned his body.
In a message received by South Korea on Friday, Kim Jong Un issued a rare apology for the officer’s shooting death.
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The message said North Korean soldiers shot the officer as he tried to flee after refusing to answer questions. It said North Korea said troops could not find the officer’s body and that it was floating on the budget based on anti-coronavirus rules.
The office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the country’s National Security Council viewed Kim’s apology positively and proposed a joint investigation with North Korea to find out what happened to the official.
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Kim is currently struggling to overcome the economic difficulties developed due to his nuclear program and US-led sanctions that have forced his country to close its border with its largest trading partner China.
The Associated Press contributes to this report.
