The presence of Lancers flying alongside some of the most world-renowned fighter jets across the globe over the Korean peninsula was clearly meant to stir Pyongyang into ramping down hostilities.

The case of two North Korean fishermen, who murdered 16 compatriots before they sought asylum, has become a political minefield in the South.

Former senior officials involved in a forced repatriation case involving North Korean fishermen during the Moon Jae-in administration received suspended sentences from a Seoul court on Wednesday.

A South Korean court found four former government officials guilty of forcibly repatriating two North Korean fishermen in 2019 despite their pleas to defect. The Seoul Central District Court gave deferred sentences to the four officials on Feb.