South Korea’s President Weighs Apology to Pyongyang as Yoon-Era Provocations Trigger Fresh Political Fights

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung is openly considering whether he should apologise to North Korea for covert provocations allegedly orchestrated by his predecessor, a move that could ignite yet another political firestorm at home.

Speaking in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee said he “felt an apology is in order” after former President Yoon Suk-yeol was indicted last month for allegedly ordering drones packed with anti-Pyongyang propaganda to fly over North Korea. Prosecutors say the operation was designed not for national security, but to manufacture tensions and boost Yoon’s domestic support.

“I feel I should apologise, but I hesitate to say it out loud,” Lee admitted. “I worry that if I do, it could be used as fodder for ideological battles or accusations of being pro-North.”

The remarks came on the anniversary of Yoon’s catastrophic martial law declaration, a gambit intended to consolidate power that instead plunged the country into constitutional crisis, prompting mass protests and an emergency parliamentary revolt. The Supreme Court later struck the decree down, Yoon was impeached, and he now awaits trial on insurrection charges from a prison cell.

But the political wounds remain wide and raw. Hardliners still praise Yoon’s confrontational posture toward Pyongyang, insisting South Korea’s democracy is under attack from his rivals. Opposing marches filled Seoul’s streets on Wednesday, underscoring how deeply Yoon’s stunt continues to fracture the country.

North Korea says South flew propaganda drones over Pyongyang three times in October 2024. South Korean media have since reported that Yoon-era military units also launched balloon-borne leaflets across the border.

Lee, who won a snap election after Yoon’s removal, has tried to unwind years of spiralling tensions. Since June, he has dismantled propaganda loudspeakers at the border and backed a new law banning activists from sending leaflet balloons into the North. But Pyongyang has ignored every overture. Kim Jong Un has shut down the idea of dialogue entirely.

Even so, Lee says he will keep trying. He floated the option of scaling back joint South Korea–US military drills, long a red flag for Pyongyang, as a possible confidence-building step.

He also expressed hope that the United States might help. Calling Donald Trump “a realist, pragmatist, and master of dealmaking who respects his counterparts,” Lee argued that Pyongyang seems to take Washington more seriously than Seoul, and that Trump could potentially coax the North back to the table.