Lee Ki-in, an emergency committee member of the Reform Party, said Sept. 22 that if North Korea is confirmed to have deliberately planted the mine involved in an explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the western sector of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), it should be treated as a clear provocation and held accountable.
In a Facebook post that day, Lee said the mine cannot be assumed to have been planted by South Korean forces simply because the explosion occurred south of the MDL. He said authorities should also investigate the possibility that the mine was either swept away from the North or planted by North Korean troops.
He said investigators should separately establish where the mine was manufactured, who planted it, whether it was carried by water and whether it was deliberately placed to target South Korean troops. He stressed that investigators should determine the facts based on a comprehensive analysis of debris, mine-laying records, terrain, rainfall and potential paths of displacement, as well as indications of North Korean military activity.
Lee also said the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s explanation that there is a distance between the site of the explosion and areas where North Korean forces are believed to have planted mines south of the MDL should be taken into consideration. “Regardless of what caused the incident, we must thoroughly examine whether there are any shortcomings in the equipment and operational procedures used to protect our troops,” he said.
He added, “The state must do more than offer words in response to troops who are entrusted with life-threatening missions. I sincerely hope for the recovery of the injured service members and extend my deepest condolences to their families. The Reform Party will continue to work to ensure support for the injured troops, a full investigation into the incident and measures to prevent a recurrence.”
