Lee In-young: "Kim Jong-un's Apology, an Unprecedented Event... Never Said 'Sorry' Twice Before"

Minister of Unification Lee In-young attended the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th and received a report from a Unification Ministry official before the meeting began. At the meeting, Minister Lee gave a briefing on the recent issue concerning the shooting of a government official by North Korea near Soyeonpyeongdo. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 25th, Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, described North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's apology regarding the Yeonpyeong Island shelling incident as an "unprecedented situation."

Minister Lee appeared at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's current issues inquiry session that day and responded to a question from Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking, "Has the North Korean supreme leader ever apologized or expressed regret to the citizens of the Republic of Korea or the president?"

He explained, "There has never been a case where the North quickly expressed apologies twice while announcing their position," adding, "In the past, regarding the Blue House armed infiltration incident, in 1972, Chairman Kim Il-sung verbally expressed it as a 'very regrettable incident' during a meeting with Director of Intelligence Yi Hu-rak."

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