Opposition leader Jang criticizes Lee's silence on North Korea missile, DMZ mine
In short
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk criticized President Lee Jae-myung for not commenting directly on North Korea’s ballistic missile launch toward the East Sea the previous day, saying the government only “begs for peace.” The Joint Chiefs of Staff separately concluded that a Sept 21 mine explosion in the western DMZ that injured South Korean soldiers was caused by North Korean mines buried south of the Military Demarcation Line. On Oct 5 Jang also argued that the government’s early push to take back wartime operational control would endanger national security.
Why it matters
The dispute puts the government’s North Korea policy and its plan to recover wartime operational control under public pressure from the main opposition party. The Joint Chiefs of Staff finding that North Korean mines injured South Korean soldiers inside the DMZ, alongside the missile launch, raises the stakes for Seoul’s handling of military tension with Pyongyang. Readers outside South Korea who follow North Korean missile activity and the operational control debate have reason to note the exchange.
Key facts
- Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, said in a Facebook post on Oct 4 that President Lee Jae-myung had made no direct statement about North Korea’s ballistic missile launch. [ 1 , 2 ]
- North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea the day before Oct 4, according to Maeil Business. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kim Yo-jong said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency that a strategic weapons launch training took place at dawn in the East Sea and that an intermediate-range strategic missile was used. [ 2 ]
- Kim Yo-jong also said there was virtually no way to avoid the strike, which Jang Dong-hyuk called a public threat against South Koreans. [ 2 ]
- The presidential office called the missile launch a grave act that does not help manage the current situation, a response Jang criticized as carefree. [ 2 ]
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that the Sept 21 mine explosion in the western DMZ was caused by North Korean mines buried south of the Military Demarcation Line as part of the North’s border fortification work. [ 1 ]
- JCS Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-won, an Army lieutenant general, presented the final investigation results at a briefing at the defense ministry in Yongsan. [ 1 ]
- At a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido on Oct 5, Jang said the Lee government’s early recovery of wartime operational control would put national security at risk. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk publicly criticized President Lee Jae-myung over the government’s handling of North Korea, including the president’s silence on the ballistic missile launch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on the day before Oct 4. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- How many South Korean soldiers were injured in the Sept 21 DMZ mine explosion The Joint Chiefs of Staff report says soldiers were injured and that the mines caused it, but gives no number or further detail on the casualties.
- The date of the Joint Chiefs of Staff briefing on the mine investigation The Newsis report is published on Oct 4 but refers to a briefing held on the 5th, so the timing cannot be reconciled from the documents.
- Whether European countries have transferred wartime operational control to the United States This appears only as Jang Dong-hyuk’s assertion at his Oct 5 press conference as reported by Dong-A Ilbo, with no confirmation from another outlet or official source.
- Whether President Lee Jae-myung has made any statement about the missile launch The claim that he has said nothing comes from Jang Dong-hyuk; the documents contain no presidential statement or response to his criticism.
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff, an official source, concluded that the Sept 21 mine explosion in the western DMZ was caused by North Korean mines buried south of the Military Demarcation Line. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsis reports the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s conclusion that the Sept 21 mine explosion in the western DMZ was caused by North Korean mines buried south of the Military Demarcation Line, with Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-won presenting the final investigation results. [ 1 ]
- Maeil Business reports Jang Dong-hyuk’s Facebook criticism of President Lee Jae-myung over his silence on North Korea’s ballistic missile launch toward the East Sea the previous day, and Kim Yo-jong’s statement on the launch training. [ 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports Jang Dong-hyuk’s press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, where he criticized the government’s North Korea response and the early recovery of wartime operational control. [ 3 ]