“Enemy drones over Pyongyang”: N. Korea unusually reveals anti-N. Korean leaflets to residents

[Anchor]

A drone sent from South Korea has reportedly infiltrated the airspace over Pyongyang and dropped leaflets, a claim that North Korean authorities have also published in media accessible to residents.

This is unusual compared to the past, when news of leaflets was blocked from residents.

Reporter Shin Ji-hye analyzes the intent behind this.

[Report]

This is a photo released by North Korean yesterday (10.11).

They claim it shows a South Korean drone dropping leaflets over the Workers' Party headquarters in the core area of Pyongyang.

The leaflets released alongside the photo contain criticisms of the economic disparity between South and North Korea and of Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the DPRK's State Affairs Commission.

North Korea issued an urgent statement through its foreign ministry, claiming that South Korea has infiltrated the airspace over Pyongyang three times this month with drones to drop leaflets.

The same content was broadcast today (10.12) on Korean Central TV.

[Korean Central TV: "This airspace violation incident is a serious criminal act that infringes upon our sovereignty and is a clear target for self-defense."]

North Korea's Rodong Sinmun also reported this on its front page.

It is unusual for news about leaflets targeting North Korea to appear in two media outlets that North Korean residents see and hear every day.

Earlier this year, in May and July, North Korea issued statements condemning the leaflets, but these were only announced through the Korean Central News Agency, a foreign media outlet that residents find difficult to access.

They seemed reluctant to mention the fact that leaflets criticizing the Kim Jong-un regime were being infiltrated.

However, it appears that they are now showing confidence in internal control and are trying to justify the 'hostile two-nation theory' to residents using the leaflets as a pretext.

[Yang Moo-jin/President of the University of North Korean Studies: "It seems to contain a strategic intent to shift responsibility onto the South while taking advantage of the heightened tensions to incite anti-South sentiment and strengthen internal cohesion within North Korea."]

After claiming the drone infiltration yesterday, North Korea sent over 20 garbage balloons southward.

This is KBS News, Shin Ji-hye.