South Korea's Unification Ministry has stated that North Korea's response to President Lee Jae Myung's expressed regret over drone incursions is significant progress towards easing military tensions. The government has been trying to reverse a sharp deterioration in ties between the two countries, which remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce. However, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, suggested that North's response was controlled acceptance of Lee's remarks, while South Korea was still firmly cast as a hostile state.