Kim Jong Un issued a rare apology to the South Korean government on September 25th after North Korean soldiers killed and then burned the corpse of a South Korean government official, which sparked outrage in Seoul. While Kim’s sudden apology has seemingly defused the Seoul leadership’s initial anger, the administration of ROK President Moon Jae-in should not be so quick to formally accept Kim’s apology, as it is most likely just part of his regime’s ongoing political warfare strategy, which will likely include a charm offensive and demands for concessions. In reality, Kim’s message to Seoul is a “non-apology apology” and, as Professor Sung-Yoon Lee describes, a “great leader mind-trick” that is actually a rebuke of Seoul.
