Chung Dong-young: “Removing 2 Million DMZ Mines Will Take Hundreds of Years” — Heated Exchanges at Unification Ministry Audit

[Financial News] Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said it would take at least 100 years to remove the 2 million mines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). He also warned of the danger, noting that neither South nor North Korea has yet joined the international convention banning anti-personnel mines.
At a parliamentary audit of the Unification Ministry held at the Inter-Korean Talks Headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 7th, Minister Chung said, “There are 2 million mines in the DMZ. They say it will take 100 to 200 years to remove them all. We need to eliminate conflict and hostility.” Mines laid by both Koreas are densely packed in the DMZ, at a rate of 2.3 per square meter, making it known as one of the most heavily mined areas in the world.
Cha Ji-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said, “Anti-personnel mines cannot be controlled, so they are banned under international law. South and North Korea are the ones that do not abide by that law.” Minister Chung also said, “We should ensure that South and North Korea can join the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.”
Questions continued about the offensive nature of mines North Korea planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the Unification Ministry’s response. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon asked the ministry’s position on the offensive nature of mines laid by the North Korean military, saying, “The mines aren’t there to catch water deer, are they?” Minister Chung replied, “It cannot be identified as a mine attack.” He also maintained that it was an accidental incident, not a provocation involving mines.
Opposition lawmakers also questioned why Minister Chung opposed cyber sanctions against North Korea proposed by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the National Security Council (NSC). Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party said, “North Korea’s cyber hacking is a serious problem. It steals money from countries around the world every year,” raising the need for sanctions.
Minister Chung replied, “The Unification Ministry’s position is that [cyber sanctions] are not an appropriate response to the mine explosion incident. However, cyber sanctions are under discussion at the NSC.”
The parliamentary audit opened with a tense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties. People Power Party lawmaker Park Chung-kwon said Foreign Minister Cho Hyun had “lied” and argued that she should be reported for perjury. He said Cho’s rebuttal at the Foreign Ministry audit the previous day—that she and Minister Chung had not clashed over sanctions against North Korea at the NSC meeting held on the 1st—amounted to perjury.
On the controversy over the NSC clash, Minister Chung said, “The Unification Ministry has its reason for being, and the Foreign Ministry has its reason for being. It is natural for opinions to differ. It would be strange if they were the same.” Park pressed Chung, asking, “Why are you so concerned about the reactions and feelings of Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong?” and “Are you really fit to be a minister of the Republic of Korea?”
Park, a young lawmaker who defected from North Korea, disclosed a tip-off at the audit alleging that a Unification Ministry Policy Support Division chief had joined forces with MINBYUN and repeatedly contacted 11 North Korean defectors who had settled in South Korea and were living well, trying to persuade them to return to the North. Park said, “The Unification Ministry official at the center of this matter is here at the audit,” adding, “This person has been reported to the authorities and is on trial in the first instance.”
Minister Chung smiled as if incredulous. When Park objected to Chung’s smile, a heated exchange broke out between the ruling and opposition parties.
Hong Ki-won of the DPK defended Minister Chung, saying, “I think he laughed because the tip-off did not make sense. It was something an ordinary person could not imagine, so the laughter came naturally.” People Power Party lawmaker Kim Dae-sik objected, saying, “I wish he would maintain decorum.”
DPK lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae said, “A physiological reaction is difficult to control. It is wrong to pressure another lawmaker and tell them not to laugh.”
But committee chair Song Seok-jun of the People Power Party cautioned, saying, “Ordering a fellow lawmaker around sounds inappropriate,” and, “Jung Cheong-rae should reflect on his actions.” Song added, “Park Chung-kwon is a young North Korean defector. This could be mockery, not a physiological reaction.”
DPK lawmaker Kim Jun-hwan said, “The substantive truth should be uncovered through an investigation, not discussed at the parliamentary audit,” adding, “There is no way MINBYUN or public officials would have done something like that at the risk of their lives.”
 Park then asked Minister Chung whether anyone had directly or indirectly checked if the two North Korean prisoners of war recently repatriated wanted to be sent back to North Korea. Minister Chung replied, “That could never happen.” 

[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter