Kim Yo-jong Denies DMZ Landmine Blast: "Clear Fabrication, Action Guidelines Issued"

▲ Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea

North Korea has completely denied allegations that one of its landmines caused an explosion in the DMZ, calling the claim a "clear fabrication."

In a statement issued yesterday (September 29) and published today (September 30) through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party of Korea, referred to the South Korean military as "South Korean armed gangsters" and claimed that they "perpetrated a provocative act picking a fight with us once again."

Kim argued, "In terms of the timing and method of provocation, this incident is a clear fabrication that is entirely reminiscent of the 'wooden-box landmine incident' that caused a stir a decade ago."

Regarding the South Korean military's mention of taking "appropriate and corresponding measures," Kim defined it as creating "a pretext to justify political and military provocations" and voiced wariness by citing moves being raised by some within the People Power Party to reinstall loudspeakers broadcasting toward the North.

Kim claimed that the "border reinforcement project" is an "exercise of thorough sovereignty that has nothing to do with military purposes."

She further asserted that the South Korean military is "finding baseless fault" over North Korean soldiers crossing the border, claiming that warning broadcasts and warning shots have been carried out almost daily since August even though North Korean troops "have never crossed the border line even once."

Kim also warned, "If they carry out actual firing, our border troops will deliver immediate and merciless retaliation," disclosing that "action guidelines for response" have already been issued to frontline units.

In particular, she stated, "Our military has decided to take measures to reinforce tactical counterattack assets in the direction of the Demilitarized Zone of the South Korean military's 3rd Corps, 21st Infantry Division, where provocations have been frequent recently."

Kim added, "The dramatic climax of Seoul's self-staged farce will never be amusing, and the full responsibility for all consequences will rest entirely on those who plotted the provocation."

South Korean military authorities previously assessed that the landmine explosion in the DMZ on September 28 was highly likely the work of North Korea, stating that corresponding measures will be taken if it is ultimately confirmed to be a landmine planted by the North.

During a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee yesterday (September 29), Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul answered "Yes" when asked whether it can be considered certain that it was a North Korean military mine, and also replied "Yes" when asked whether it is believed to have been deliberately planted rather than displaced by flooding.

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