Unification Minister calls DMZ mine injuries an accident, urges peace efforts

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Oct. 7 that North Korean mines in the Demilitarized Zone had injured South Korean troops, calling it an unfortunate accident and saying efforts for fundamental peace had become more urgent. He was speaking in his opening remarks at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit of the Unification Ministry, held at the Panmunjom Dialogue Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He said preparations must be thorough so that such a misfortune does not happen again, and offered deep consolation and wishes for the soldiers' quick recovery. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]

Dong-A Ilbo reported that on Sept. 21, during a route-clearing operation in the western DMZ under the Army's 25th Division—conducted for a UN Command on-site survey of an area suspected of North Korean mine-laying—a battalion commander, a lieutenant colonel, and another officer were seriously wounded by a suspected mine explosion, including ankle amputations. A third officer was lightly injured and is recovering. Maeil Business reported that the military subsequently concluded the blast came from mines North Korea had laid south of the Military Demarcation Line. [ 4 , 9 , 10 ]

Asked by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon whether the blast was an accidental incident rather than a North Korean attack because intent had not been established, Chung answered yes, Dong-A Ilbo reported, meaning he could not yet specify it as a mine attack. Yonhap and other outlets reported that he referred to the case as an unfortunate accident in his opening remarks. [ 3 , 4 , 10 ]

Chung tied the incident to the government's peace agenda, saying President Lee Jae-myung had repeatedly presented three visions for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula in his Liberation Day address and UN General Assembly keynote, and that follow-up measures would be pushed ahead without disruption. He said the core task is to end the peninsula's old war and build a peace regime, turning an unstable situation of military tension and repeated hostility under the armistice into sustained and stable peace. He said the government would devote all its capacity, as a party to the peninsula issue and a leading peacemaker, to enabling discussions on a peace regime. [ 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]

In its report to the audit, the Unification Ministry assessed that North Korea keeps claiming nuclear-armed status, is watching the international situation while exploring room for North Korea-U.S. dialogue, and is resisting international calls for denuclearization in order to block the framework of denuclearization negotiations. On South Korea policy, the ministry said the North is maintaining a hostile relationship while combining pressure with limited exchanges, citing indirect communication through statements during the drone issue and a North Korean football team's visit to the South. It said the North reaffirmed its hostile stance toward the South through party rules and its constitution and institutionalized what it calls 'Joseon-Korea relations' by incorporating the party's 10th Bureau into the Foreign Ministry. [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]

The ministry also reported that North Korea's economy grew 3.5% last year, a third consecutive year of 3%-range growth, while over the same period the dollar exchange rate rose about sevenfold and rice prices about sixfold. It said it is cooperating with the National Assembly on revisions to the North Korean Materials Act and the Information and Communications Network Act that would transfer management of North Korean materials from the National Intelligence Service to the Unification Ministry, to widen disclosure and access. [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]

Separately the same day, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told the National Assembly's defense committee audit that 'winning without fighting is the best strategy' and that such a victory comes from overwhelming power the enemy dares not challenge, Asia Economy reported. The outlet described both ministers' comments, in the context of discussion of responses to the mine incident, as weighing the prevention of clashes—one stressing peaceful coexistence, the other the military's overwhelming strength. [ 7 ]