South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Wednesday he feels he should apologise to North Korea for orders issued by his predecessor to send drones and propaganda leaflets across the border.

Speaking at a news conference marking one year since former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, briefly plunging the country into turmoil, Lee said he was hesitant to voice such an apology publicly, fearing it could be used in ideological disputes or lead to accusations of being pro-North.