### North Korean Leader's Sister Warns South Korea of "Terrible Calamity" over Drone Incursions

In an alarming escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea of shirking responsibility for the alleged night flights of South Korean drones over Pyongyang. She warned that continued incursions would lead to catastrophic consequences.

The provocative statement, issued the day after North Korea's Foreign Ministry reported drone flights on October 3, as well as on the past Wednesday and Thursday, highlighted the seriousness of the situation. According to the Ministry, these drones were disseminating anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets. North Korean forces are now on high alert and have declared their readiness to employ “all means of attack” to destroy hostile targets south of the border without prior notice if such incursions are detected again.

In response to North Korea’s claims, South Korea’s defense minister initially denied the accusations. However, the South Korean military later softened its stance, indicating that the veracity of the claims could not be confirmed. This ambiguity was taken by Kim Yo Jong as either an admission of guilt or evidence of South Korean complicity. She argued that should the South Korean military allow civilian-operated drones to violate another country’s airspace, it would constitute intentional collusion and raise the risk of armed conflict.

“The moment a South Korean drone is discovered once again in skies above our capital, a terrible calamity will surely occur. I personally hope that does not happen,” Kim Yo Jong sternly warned. South Korean military and government officials have yet to respond to these latest comments.

The already strained relations between North and South Korea have deteriorated further this year. North Korea has accelerated its missile testing activities, while South Korea has intensified military training exercises with the United States. Furthermore, both Koreas have engaged in psychological warfare, with North Korea releasing thousands of balloons filled with trash across the border in retaliation for South Korean activists sending anti-North Korean leaflets via balloons. In turn, South Korean forces have used loudspeakers at the border to broadcast propaganda and K-pop music into North Korea.

Political experts point out that North Korea is highly sensitive to any external criticism of its authoritarian regime. This ongoing tension has led South Korean officials to worry about potential provocations from the North as part of a broader strategy to pressure both Seoul and Washington.

With the U.S. presidential election looming, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speculates that North Korea could engage in significant provocations to draw international attention. These might include a nuclear test detonation or the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Such actions would aim to force the United States to acknowledge North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and bring Washington to the negotiating table from a position of strength.