National Assembly’s National Defense Committee adopts resolution condemning North Korea’s ‘landmine provocation,’ led by ruling party

[Financial News] The National Defense Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea has adopted a resolution defining the landmine explosion in the western front’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a North Korean provocation, condemning it and calling on North Korean authorities to apologize. The adoption comes 23 days after the explosion. However, as the ruling and opposition parties failed to agree on the resolution’s specific wording, it passed under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea. The parties were at odds over whether to describe the incident as a provocation and whether to include a provision holding the South Korean government and military responsible.
On the 14th, the National Defense Committee held a bill review subcommittee meeting and a plenary session and adopted the “Resolution Condemning North Korea’s Landmine Provocation South of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).” The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party had each introduced a resolution: the “Resolution Condemning the North Korean Landmine Explosion South of the Military Demarcation Line” and the “Resolution Calling for an Investigation into Allegations that the Lee Jae-myung Government Downplayed and Covered Up the DMZ Landmine Tragedy Suspected to Have Been Caused by North Korea, and for Respectful Treatment and Support for Injured Service Members.”
The ruling and opposition parties initially reportedly disagreed over whether to define the incident as a North Korean provocation. A resolution involving all Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers, led by National Defense Committee Chairman Jin Seong-jun, called the incident an “accident,” while the People Power Party initially described it as a “tragedy” before defining it as a “provocation” after the investigation results were released. On the day, the parties ultimately agreed to characterize it as a North Korean landmine provocation.
The resolution agreed upon by the National Defense Committee condemns North Korea’s landmine provocation and calls on North Korean authorities to apologize, punish those responsible and take steps to prevent a recurrence. It calls on the South Korean government and military to maintain firm military readiness and establish safety measures for service members during landmine detection and inspections in the DMZ. It also calls for a resolute response in exercise of the right to self-defense. In addition, it urges measures to ensure proper treatment, including veterans’ healthcare, for injured service members and their families, and calls for the international community to be informed of the provocation through joint efforts.
The People Power Party had called for the resolution to include a National Assembly-level investigation into broader issues, including North Korea’s crossing of the MDL and its successive provocations, as well as “guard duty with unloaded rifles,” and to address delays in the investigation. Those demands were not accepted. In protest, People Power Party lawmakers walked out during the meeting, and the resolution was passed under the Democratic Party of Korea’s leadership. The Democratic Party of Korea maintains that the resolution is intended to condemn North Korea’s provocation, not to assign blame to the government and military. In this regard, Lim Jong-deuk, the People Power Party’s committee secretary and subcommittee chair, warned, “The response currently being discussed by the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will not change North Korea’s behavior.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Party of Korea floor spokesperson Kim Seong-hoe criticized the move, saying, “If we’re holding North Korea responsible for the provocation, what contradiction is there in examining our own military’s responsibility?” The spokesperson added, “Do not turn national security and the sacrifices of our service members into tools for political wrangling.”
[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter