Opposition lawmaker claims North Korean barbed wire crosses MDL on eastern front
In short
People Power Party Rep. Yoo Yong-won said at a National Assembly press conference that North Korean barbed wire and other structures are installed south of the Military Demarcation Line in the 21st Division area on the eastern front, and that MDL crossings are more widespread than previously known. Yoo said the barbed wire appeared to have been installed in August-September, cited a Sept. 29 Joint Chiefs of Staff answer that described the case as a simple crossing, and demanded the government disclose the scale of the incursions and its response plans. He also called on North Korea to remove the facilities and stop crossing the MDL.
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Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the opposition People Power Party said at a National Assembly press conference on Oct. 5 that North Korean barbed wire and other structures are installed south of the Military Demarcation Line in the area of the 21st Division on the eastern front, and that the MDL crossings are more widespread than previously known. Yoo said his information showed that incursions by North Korean minefields and other facilities were “not limited to the 25th Division” on the western front but were occurring in several front-line areas. Yonhap, Newsis, SBS News, Maeil Business and NoCut News all reported the remarks, attributing them to Yoo. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Yoo said that because North Korean positions are usually arranged, when viewed from the South, in the order of minefield, tactical road and barbed wire, he could not rule out that minefields and tactical roads also crossed the MDL in the 21st Division area. He said the barbed wire there was understood to have been installed relatively recently, in August and September, and should be seen as part of North Korea's border fortification. He also said the 21st Division area is where Kim Yo-jong had singled out “firepower reinforcement” in a recent statement. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Yoo pointed to a Sept. 29 session of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, saying the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had answered to the effect that the barbed-wire case was a simple crossing of the line rather than a minefield. He demanded that the government state how many sites of North Korean minefields and structures cross south of the MDL, when the installations were first confirmed, how it has responded so far, and how it will respond to the DMZ mine explosion. In one report he also called on the Lee Jae-myung government to disclose all confirmed facts and response plans, and on North Korea to remove all facilities it built across the MDL and stop crossing it immediately. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The remarks follow a Sept. 21 mine incident in the western DMZ. Newsis, in a photo caption dated Sept. 29, reported that the military had announced the cause of the explosion in the western DMZ was highly likely a North Korean mine, with the border area of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, shown in the image. Maeil Business referred to the “Sept. 21 DMZ mine provocation”. [ 2 , 5 ]
Other PPP lawmakers also criticised the government's North Korea policy. Five-term Rep. Na Kyung-won said in a Facebook post that North Korea fires hypersonic missiles and crosses the MDL to plant mines while front-line troops have not a single live round, and called for identifying those behind a “no-ammunition alert” instruction; she also criticised President Lee Jae-myung over the Oct. 4 declaration and the West Sea Northern Limit Line. Five-term Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun said what the public wants is not a vague slogan about breaking a vicious cycle but a clear answer on what the government will do about North Korea's violations of the armistice agreement and how it will protect troops and citizens. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The claim concerns the MDL inside the Demilitarized Zone and follows a Sept. 21 explosion in the western DMZ that the military said was highly likely caused by a North Korean mine. If confirmed, structures south of the MDL would raise the stakes for Seoul's handling of armistice violations and for front-line units. The documents do not show any military or government confirmation of Yoo's account, and the dispute is being pressed by opposition lawmakers against the Lee Jae-myung government.
Key facts
- People Power Party Rep. Yoo Yong-won told a National Assembly press conference on Oct. 5 that North Korean barbed wire and other structures are installed south of the MDL in the 21st Division area on the eastern front. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said the MDL crossings by North Korean minefields were not limited to the 25th Division on the western front and were occurring in several front-line areas. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said minefields and tactical roads may also have crossed the MDL in the 21st Division area, given the usual north-side order of minefield, tactical road and barbed wire. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said the barbed wire was understood to have been installed in August-September and called it part of North Korea's border fortification. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman told the National Defense Committee on Sept. 29 that the case was a simple crossing rather than a minefield. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo demanded the government disclose the number of sites, when the installations were first confirmed, past responses and its plans for responding to the DMZ mine explosion. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Reps. Na Kyung-won and Yoon Sang-hyun separately criticised the government's North Korea policy, including over front-line troops' ammunition and the response to armistice violations. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
- Newsis reported, in a Sept. 29 photo caption, that the military had said the western DMZ explosion was highly likely caused by a North Korean mine. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Rep. Yoo Yong-won held a press conference at the National Assembly on Oct. 5 and said North Korean barbed wire and other structures are installed south of the MDL in the 21st Division area on the eastern front. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said the MDL crossings were not limited to the 25th Division and were occurring in several front-line areas. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said the barbed wire in the 21st Division area was installed relatively recently, in August-September, and linked it to North Korea's border fortification. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo said the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman had answered at the Sept. 29 National Defense Committee session that the case was a simple crossing, not a minefield. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yoo demanded the government disclose the number of crossing sites, the first confirmation date, past responses and plans for the DMZ mine explosion. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- PPP Reps. Na Kyung-won and Yoon Sang-hyun criticised the government's North Korea policy in separate remarks on Oct. 5. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether North Korean structures actually cross south of the MDL in the 21st Division area Every document attributes this to Rep. Yoo's press conference; none contains confirmation from the military or the government.
- How many sites of North Korean minefields and structures cross south of the MDL, and when they were first confirmed Yoo demanded that the government disclose these figures, and no number or date appears in the documents.
- Whether minefields and tactical roads also crossed the MDL in the 21st Division area Yoo said this could not be ruled out; the documents present it as a possibility rather than a confirmed fact.
- The “no-ammunition alert” instruction for front-line troops and who ordered it Raised by Rep. Na Kyung-won as a claim; the documents give no details or official response.
- The exact cause of the western DMZ explosion Newsis, in a photo caption, says the military described a North Korean mine as highly likely, not confirmed, and no other document gives the cause.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- At a National Assembly National Defense Committee session, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff answers to the effect that the barbed-wire case was a simple crossing of the line rather than a minefield, according to Rep. Yoo. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Yonhap reports Rep. Yoo's press conference claims that North Korean barbed wire and other structures are installed south of the MDL in the 21st Division area on the eastern front. [ 1 ]
- Newsis reports Yoo's call for the Lee Jae-myung government to disclose all confirmed facts, follow-up measures and response plans regarding the MDL incursions. [ 3 ]
- SBS News reports the press conference, including Yoo's demand for the number of crossing sites, the first confirmation date and plans for the DMZ mine explosion. [ 4 ]
- NoCut News summarises Yoo's claims and the separate criticism of the government's North Korea policy by PPP Reps. Na Kyung-won and Yoon Sang-hyun. [ 6 ]