Lee on DMZ Landmine Accident: “The Truth Must Be Transparently Uncovered... I Hope There Are No Baseless Conspiracy Theories”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung on the 29th called for a thorough investigation into the truth behind a landmine accident in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), saying, "I hope there will be no act of endangering national security by fanning baseless conspiracy theories." In terms of livelihood measures, he instructed officials to consider using excess tax revenue to ease polarization, expanding holiday discount support, and reducing public transportation costs. He also demanded stern punishment, including dismissal, for police manipulation of cases and concealment of evidence.
At the 42nd State Council meeting held at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said, "The military authorities must transparently uncover the truth behind the incident through a swift and thorough investigation based on close cooperation with the United Nations Command," adding, "We will take the necessary measures based on those findings."
He stressed that "there can be no partisan divide over national security" and conveyed his "deepest sympathies" to the soldiers injured in the accident and their families, adding that he hoped for their speedy recovery.
The accident occurred on the 21st while a search route was being cleared in the DMZ under the jurisdiction of the 25th Infantry Division in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Three military officers were injured, two of them seriously. The Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff (ROK JCS) announced interim findings the previous day that it was "very likely to have been a North Korean mine."
Opposition parties had raised suspicions that the military, despite being aware of the possibility that the mine was North Korean, delayed its investigation and announcement out of consideration for President Lee's UN General Assembly speech. In his keynote address to the UN General Assembly on the 22nd local time, President Lee expressed his vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and his willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea.
Before the State Council meeting, Cheong Wa Dae rebutted the claim, saying, "The military's on-site investigation into the landmine accident had absolutely nothing to do with the president's UN speech." It added, "The on-site investigation was planned and decided solely on military grounds by the ROK JCS and the UNC, taking into account recommendations from commanders at the scene."
Regarding self-reliant national defense, President Lee also said, "Above all, we must accelerate the construction of nuclear submarines, a key element of self-reliant national defense, and the advancement of missile technologies, including hypersonic missiles."
As a livelihood measure, he cited the use of excess tax revenue. President Lee said, "This year's tax revenue is also expected to increase substantially from the initial estimate," adding, "We must actively use available resources and policy tools, including excess tax revenue, to ease polarization and inequality, which are key causes of anxiety about people's livelihoods."
Specifically, he said, "We will concentrate available resources on measures including the provision of 1.19 million homes under the housing stability plan, national employment programs, and expanded inclusive finance." Expressing concern about the burden on vulnerable borrowers and ordinary citizens from rising interest rates, he asked the Ministry of Economy and Finance to prepare support measures.
He also proposed expanding the budget for holiday discounts to around 1 trillion won next year, combining the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. President Lee said, "I wonder if we should increase it substantially next year, to around 1 trillion won for Seol and Chuseok combined." Regarding funding, he said, "We could use the Future Response Fund," adding that it "would also help ease polarization."
He also pointed out that discount support is concentrated in some traditional markets. President Lee said, "We all pay the same taxes, so why doesn't our neighborhood market qualify? It would seem unfair," and called for improvements to the implementation process so that markets excluded from the program could also benefit.
He instructed officials to consider reducing transportation costs to about half price for people who use public transportation outside peak commuting hours. When Hong Ji-seon, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, explained that a pilot program was being operated with the reimbursement rate during those hours increased from 20% to 30%, President Lee said, "I hesitate to put a number on it, but wouldn't about half price be appropriate?"
Regarding the farmland investigation, he reiterated, "The aim is to crack down on people who buy farmland, leave it idle while waiting for land prices to rise, use it for unrelated purposes, or engage in real estate speculation." President Lee added, "I'm not trying to crack down on people who leave their land with a neighbor because they have grown old and find farming difficult, am I?" He urged officials to explain the policy's purpose clearly so it would not be distorted in the field.
Regarding police investigations, he called for tougher disciplinary measures and punishment for manipulating cases and concealing evidence. President Lee told Kim Jongcheol, acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency, "If someone is disciplined, the penalty should basically be severe enough to prevent them from working as a police officer at all, or to dismiss them. Lesser disciplinary action does not seem appropriate." Kim replied that custodial investigations are the rule for serious misconduct such as accepting bribes or leaking information about major investigations and crackdowns, adding, "Removal from service is also the principle for disciplinary action."
Regarding internal controls within the police, President Lee said, "We need to give serious thought to strengthening the inspection function and ensuring that it can operate independently."
He also called for a legislative review to ensure that buying votes with money in elections for leaders of private economic organizations could be punished. However, he said the scope of application should be limited based on factors such as an organization's size and assets, adding, "We should not expand it indiscriminately just because a criminal penalty provision is deemed necessary."
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter