North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un apologised on Friday for the
shooting death of a South Korean man to prevent the spread of the novel
Coronavirus, the South's national security adviser said, as public and political outrage over the killing grew.
The apology came in a letter from the North's United Front Department, which handles cross-border ties, to South Korean President
moon Jae-in a day after South Korean officials said the North's soldiers killed the man, doused his body in fuel and set it on
fire.
The rare conciliatory message from the North Korean leader came as Moon faced intense political fallout over the incident, which coincided with a renewed push by him for engagement with
North Korea.