On the afternoon of today (September 26), the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission deployed about 20 service members to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the western front.
This was a preliminary survey carried out ahead of an on-site investigation into the landmine explosion.
An operational environment assessment was reportedly conducted to ensure safety and secure an entry route for troops who will be sent to the incident site.
However, they did not approach the actual site of the incident and reportedly advanced only up to areas where safety had been confirmed.
Based on the preliminary survey, which lasted for more than two hours, the military plans to soon finalize a schedule for the on-site investigation to verify whether the landmine blast was an act by North Korean forces.
In the political sphere, clashes continued over the timing of the on-site probe.
The People Power Party claimed that the Lee Jae-myung administration is deliberately delaying the on-site investigation out of concern over North Korea's reaction.
[Park Sung-hoon / Chief Spokesperson, People Power Party: Even at this very moment, the Lee Jae-myung administration is delaying even the on-site investigation, merely offering deceitful excuses that it is 'approaching cautiously because it is dangerous.']
Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sig urged, "The government treats wounded service members like someone else's sons," adding, "It must swiftly announce who is responsible for the landmine explosion based on the 5W1H principles."
In contrast, the Democratic Party denounced the People Power Party's offensive as "an unpatriotic act that exploits service members' lives and national security for political strife."
[Kim Byung-joo / Ranking Member of the National Defense Committee, Democratic Party: Telling people to go back into that extremely perilous zone without sufficient preparation is not uncovering the truth. It is the same as telling them to create yet another victim.]
However, voices criticizing the government's response also emerged from within parts of the Democratic Party, with five-term lawmaker Park Jie-won writing on social media, "If our soldiers suffered an accident, the public will only understand if the truth is revealed as it is."
Reported by Go Jeong-hyeon | Video by Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Jang Hyeon-gi | Produced by SBS Digital News
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