Ruling-party members of the Defense Committee visit DMZ landmine accident site… Minister of National Defense calls on ruling and opposition leaders

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Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Jin Sung-joon, chair of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, and other committee members conduct an on-site inspection at Biryong Observatory of the Army 25th Division in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 28th regarding the recent suspected landmine explosion. National Assembly photojournalists pool

On the 28th, the political sphere continued its back-and-forth over the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Western Front. Ruling-party lawmakers on the National Assembly National Defense Committee visited the blast site that day and received a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the status of the investigation, while People Power Party members boycotted the on-site inspection, alleging the government intentionally delayed the probe. Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol visited the National Assembly to pay courtesy calls on the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties and said that if the cause of the accident is confirmed to be a mine planted by North Korea, “appropriate and significant responses and measures commensurate with that are necessary, and we will proceed accordingly”.

Jin Sung-joon, chair of the National Defense Committee, Democratic Party of Korea members of the committee, Chun Ha-ram of the Reform New Party, and independent lawmaker Kim Byung-gi visited Biryong Observatory of the Army 25th Division in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, where the accident occurred, and received a report from the Joint Chiefs on the status of the on-site investigation. People Power Party members of the committee boycotted the visit, calling instead for a pending-issue hearing at the committee.

During the on-site inquiry, members posed questions about whether the mine was North Korean and why five days elapsed from the date of the accident to the on-site investigation.

In response to a question from Chair Jin Sung-joon about why time elapsed from the accident on the 21st until the start of the on-site investigation, Gang Dong-gu, Director General for Strategic Planning at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported, “We first collected items such as blood-stained gauze from the severely injured and requested analysis from the National Forensic Service (NFS) on the 22nd, which was the earliest investigation”.

Director General Kang said, “The next day, after the Minister provided on-site guidance, the director of the Joint Chiefs Operations Directorate, who serves as head of the (Joint Chiefs joint on-site investigation) task force (TF), carried out a site safety assessment”, adding, “On the 26th, we changed the TF head to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the on-site investigation team conducted the assessment”.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo said, “Core evidence such as explosive or ammunition residue is analyzed immediately by the NFS, and because additional traces like impact marks are checked on site, it makes no sense for People Power to say they ‘(regarding the fact-finding) sat on their hands’”. He added, “We will thoroughly ascertain the truth, and if it is found that this damage was caused by North Korean mines, we will take corresponding measures accordingly”.

Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol visited the National Assembly and separately paid courtesy calls on Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk. Kim asked the Minister to ensure “that the investigation proceeds transparently and thoroughly from a security standpoint and from the standpoint of the safety of the troops and the military”.

Jang said, “If the landmine explosion that occurred in the DMZ was caused by mines newly planted by North Korea, it is a clear act of aggression and evidence that the Republic of Korea security is being shaken to the root”. He continued, “I think President Lee Jae Myung cannot be solely responsible for the Republic of Korea security” and “Even if, at times, you confront the President and as a result cannot continue to remain in this position, I think the time has come to answer to the citizens of the Republic of Korea who have stood by the Minister until now”.

Kang told Jang, “As Minister of National Defense, together with the government, I will build a victorious Republic of Korea Armed Forces that is merciless to the enemy and loved by the people”.

After calling on Jang, Kang met with reporters and, regarding allegations from the opposition of a cover-up and criticism of a belated response, said, “That is not the case. What could the military possibly conceal? We will proceed transparently”, and added, “I would like to say once again that there was definitely no intentional delay or concealment”.

The ruling and opposition parties continued their political back-and-forth over issues such as the delay in investigating the landmine explosion. People Power raised suspicions of an intentional delay and cover-up in the government investigation of the landmine incident. At the Supreme Council meeting, Jang said, “The government only began the on-site investigation six days after the accident”, and claimed, “An intentional delay in investigation and the scaling down and concealment of the accident are all impossible without an order from the President”.

The Democratic Party criticized People Power for politicizing the incident under the banner of troop safety. In a written briefing, floor spokesperson Kim Sung-hoe said, “We hope People Power will reflect on what kind of burden political pressure places on the soldiers on the ground”, and added, “The investigation will make the cause of the accident and where responsibility lies perfectly clear”.

The National Defense Committee plans to hold a full session on the 29th to conduct a pending-issue inquiry regarding the DMZ landmine incident.