South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that he wishes he could apologize to North Korea for his impeached predecessor’s alleged drone operations against Pyongyang, while calling it politically difficult to do so.

He made the remark during a press conference to mark one year since ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law, responding to question about whether he has considered issuing a “state-level apology” for ROK drone intrusions.

“How you managed to see right through my heart and ask that question, I do not know,” Lee said.

“I’ve actually thought that maybe we should apologize. But I