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Seoul, April 7 (IANS) The unification ministry of South Korea on Tuesday assessed North Korea's swift response to President Lee Jae Myung's expression of regret over drone flights by South Korean individuals as "meaningful progress" moving forward the establishment of peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

Late Monday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement that said her brother assessed Lee as "frank and broad-minded," some 10 hours after Lee voiced regret over unauthorized drone flights into the North at a Cabinet meeting.

The unification ministry said Kim's statement indicated the leaders of the two Koreas effectively communicated with each other over the need to stop acts that heighten unnecessary military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

"We've assessed this as meaningful progress toward the establishment of peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula," a ministry official said.

"There is no reason for the two Koreas to be hostile to each other and hostility and confrontation do not help any side."

The official said the government will firmly adhere to the principle of not taking any hostile act toward North Korea, vowing to seek a policy of promoting peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported.

In Kim's latest statement, North Korea called Lee "president of the Republic of Korea." It is believed to be the first time that the North used Lee's official title since the Lee government took office in June last year.

In late 2023, the North's leader declared inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other," vowing not to seek reconciliation and unification with South Korea.

Experts said North Korea's swift response to Lee's expression of regret over the drone flights appears to indicate that Pyongyang still attaches importance to inter-Korean relations despite its hostile stance toward Seoul.

Three individuals -- a graduate student in his 30s, an employee of the National Intelligence Service and a military officer -- were indicted last week over flying drones into North Korea between last September and January.

--IANS

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