N. Korean leader's sister again denies responsibility over DMZ mine blast
Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2019. AP-Yonhap
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Friday reiterated her denial of responsibility for the recent blast caused by North Korean land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), she repeated her earlier denial this week, rejecting the South Korean military's findings that blamed the North for the blast.
South Korea's military urged Pyongyang to offer an apology and stop fortification work on the border.
"The reason we are fortifying our border is to close the door to South Korea for good" she said, calling South Korea's findings "groundless."
President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday pledged to persistently seek practical ways to reduce military tensions with North Korea.
She mocked Seoul's call for an apology, dismissing its response as a "clown show."