'DMZ Landmine Explosion, North Korean Soldier Repatriation' Allegations Turn Into an All-Out Battle as the Ruling Party, Government and Cheong Wa Dae Emphasize an Active Response

[Financial News] Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling party have launched a direct response to prevent allegations related to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) landmine explosion and the undisclosed repatriation of North Korean soldiers from resurfacing.
The government and the ruling party will take part in an on-site investigation at the military unit involved to prevent unnecessary speculation surrounding allegations that the investigation into the DMZ landmine explosion was deliberately delayed, minimized and covered up. Cheong Wa Dae has also demanded an apology from the Ukrainian government for breaking an agreement to keep the repatriation of North Korean soldiers confidential.
On the 28th, Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok will visit the site of the Guard Post (GOP) unit under the Army's 25th Infantry Division, where the accident occurred, together with lawmakers from the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly. He plans to inspect the progress of the joint on-site investigation at a location near the accident site.
Jin Sung-joon, chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "I will personally verify whether there were any gaps or shortcomings in the forensic examination and investigation process, and whether the safety of the soldiers' operational environment was properly secured." He added, "It is deeply regrettable that the opposition continues indiscriminate disclosure campaigns outside the National Assembly while refusing to conduct the crucial on-site verification." Chun Ha-ram, floor leader of the Reform Party and a member of the National Defense Committee, is also expected to inspect the military unit with ruling party lawmakers.
People Power Party lawmakers are reportedly planning to skip the site visit, arguing that the National Assembly's questioning procedure on pending issues should take priority. Instead, opposition leaders will meet with newly appointed Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-chul.
The opposition bloc has defined the DMZ landmine explosion as an intentional provocation by North Korea and has strongly pressed the argument that the administration is responsible.
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk claimed, "If our soldiers fell victim to an enemy provocation in the DMZ and the on-site investigation was deliberately delayed for more than a week, that would be a traitorous act of betraying the South Korean people and military out of concern for the North Korean regime." He added, "If President Lee Jae-myung directly ordered or condoned this, it would constitute serious grounds for impeachment because he had abandoned his constitutional duty to defend the Constitution."
The conservative opposition bloc is expected to focus on examining the cause of the accident and the military's response to an explosion believed to have been caused by a landmine during an operation by a search battalion of the Army's 25th Infantry Division south of the Military Demarcation Line in the western DMZ on the 21st.
Two explosions occurred, severing the ankle of the lieutenant colonel commanding the search battalion and injuring three soldiers. The opposition immediately called for an on-site investigation, but the government said it would begin the investigation after the Chuseok holiday. Opposition parties subsequently raised allegations that the incident was the work of North Korea and that the investigation had been deliberately delayed.
As the controversy intensified, the South Korean military and the United Nations Command (UNC) jointly approached an area near the location in the DMZ where the landmine explosion was believed to have occurred on the 27th. The on-site investigation team consisted of about 40 people, including South Korean military operational personnel and the UNC Military Armistice Commission. The visit came just six days after the accident on the 21st.
Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae has taken the unusually strong step of demanding an apology from Ukraine for breaking a confidential agreement concerning the repatriation of North Korean soldiers. After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed at the United Nations General Assembly that North Korean prisoners of war would be sent to South Korea, Ukraine officially denied that there had been any confidential agreement. Cheong Wa Dae responded directly by releasing the full details of the prior discussions.
Cheong Wa Dae expressed strong regret on the 27th over Ukraine's distorted public-relations conduct and demanded an apology.
Cheong Wa Dae disclosed that the Ukrainian side had first earnestly asked the South Korean government to maintain strict confidentiality, mindful of domestic criticism over losing an opportunity for a prisoner exchange in Ukraine.
Sung Ki-hong, senior secretary for public relations and communications at Cheong Wa Dae, said, "The Ukrainian authorities' false public-relations conduct—first breaking trust between the leaders by unilaterally disclosing the matter on the international stage, and now denying that a confidential agreement ever existed—directly violates the principle of good faith." He urged the Ukrainian authorities to provide an official explanation and apology.


[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter