Cheong Wa Dae: "Landmine Probe Was Military Decision... Unrelated to UN Speech"

▲ Cheong Wa Dae

Regarding the South Korean military's on-site investigation into the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Cheong Wa Dae stated, "It was planned and decided purely on military judgment by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United Nations Command, taking into account recommendations from commanders in the field."

Conservative opposition parties, including the People Power Party, had raised claims that the on-site investigation was delayed out of concern that it might weaken the persuasiveness of President Lee's UN speech calling for "easing sanctions on North Korea," and this statement was a rebuttal to those claims.

Earlier, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official stated on September 24, "There can never be any hidden motive, concealment, or cover-up in the slightest."

Previously, the military, together with the UN Command, launched the on-site investigation on September 27, six days after the explosion occurred.

Yesterday (September 28), the military announced that the explosion is assessed to be highly likely caused by a North Korean landmine, adding that it will take corresponding measures if it is conclusively determined to have been planted by North Korea.

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