▲ Ambassador to the UN Cha Ji-hoon speaks at a meeting held at the UN Headquarters in New York on the 8th (local time).
The South Korean government defined the recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a violation of the armistice agreement at the United Nations in New York on the 8th (local time), urging North Korea to issue a formal apology and take responsible measures.
Ambassador to the UN Cha Ji-hoon stated during his speech at the general debate of the First Committee of the 81st UN General Assembly that three soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion inside the DMZ on September 21.
"According to the joint investigation results supported by our military and the United Nations Command and backed by forensic analysis, it has been confirmed that the explosion was caused by landmines intentionally planted by North Korean troops south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)," Ambassador Cha said. "This is a clear violation of the Korean Armistice Agreement."
Urging North Korea to halt such acts of escalating tension, issue a public apology, and take responsible measures, he also called on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to ease tensions and restore trust on the Korean Peninsula.
In response, the North Korean side requested the right of reply and made far-fetched claims.
The North Korean representative argued that the so-called "landmine explosion incident" mentioned by the Republic of Korea (ROK) is an "ulterior, disruptive act" aimed at framing the South's fortification measures in border areas—which he claimed were a legitimate exercise of sovereignty—as a military invasion.
He criticized this as nothing more than a "poor trick" by the South Korean military to shift its own responsibility onto North Korea.
In addition, he directly mentioned Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, claiming that a South Korean official had also remarked that it was difficult to conclude the landmine explosion was a deliberate attack by North Korea.
Minister Chung had stated during a parliamentary audit by the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly the previous day that the North Korean landmine explosion "cannot yet be specified as an attack."
The North Korean side also stated that it firmly rejects South Korea's claims and will exercise its sovereignty even more resolutely and boldly to ensure the security of its southern border areas.
Such remarks echo claims made in a previous statement issued by Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party of Korea.
In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency that day, Vice Director Kim mocked the landmine explosion, calling it a "self-staged farce."
In response, the South Korean side requested the right of reply again to refute the claims, followed by another rebuttal from North Korea.
An Ji-in, counselor at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN, cited the results of the joint investigation and forensic analysis conducted by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command, emphasizing that it clearly proved that the landmines intentionally planted by North Korea were the cause of the explosion.
Taking the floor once more, the North Korean representative defined South Korea as a hostile state and stated that it would not discuss the issue of exercising military sovereignty within its territory with South Korea.
"We will defend our territorial sovereignty not through negotiations, but through the thorough exercise of strength," he added.
In his speech, Ambassador Cha also criticized North Korea's nuclear and missile development and military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
He pointed out that North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a serious threat not only to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community, but also to the global non-proliferation regime.
He also urged an immediate halt to North Korea-Russia military cooperation, which violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
The North Korean representative also pushed back against criticisms of its nuclear and missile programs by other countries such as France, Canada, and Denmark, repeating claims that possessing nuclear weapons is an inevitable choice to protect its sovereignty from U.S. nuclear threats.
The UN First Committee is one of the six main committees of the UN General Assembly and deals with security issues such as disarmament, arms control, and the prevention of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
(Photo: Capture from UN Web TV, Yonhap News)
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