▲ Unification Minister Chung Dong-young takes off his glasses during a comprehensive parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification at the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on October 27.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stated on October 27 regarding the intentions behind recent threatening statements against the South issued by North Korean officials, including Workers' Party Vice Department Director Kim Yo-jong, that "judging by what has appeared so far, there seems to be a strong intention to complete the 'borderization' project as scheduled and on time."
Minister Chung gave this response to a related question from Representative Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party during the comprehensive audit by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.
He added, "Through this (the 'borderization' work), they are revealing their intention to solidify a 'hostile state relation.'"
In response to Rep. Kwon's criticism that Minister Chung's stance of emphasizing dialogue despite such North Korean threats was "subservient" and "humiliating," Chung answered to the effect that emphasizing dialogue was not a subservient posture, saying, "Returning (the Demilitarized Zone) to the state prior to the suspension of the September 19 military agreement is the fundamental solution and beneficial to both South and North Korea."
He went on to emphasize, "For five years after the September 19 military agreement in 2018, there were no such incidents (like landmine explosions) in the DMZ," adding, "The DMZ was managed peacefully. The possibility of accidental clashes was also reduced."
Regarding the DMZ landmine explosion, Minister Chung held firm to his stance from the previous parliamentary audit on October 7, saying, "Linguistically speaking, the term 'landmine attack' is difficult to substantiate."
In response to repeated questions from Representative Park Choong-kwon of the People Power Party asking whether he considers it a provocation, Chung emphasized, "The government has defined it as such," adding, "Saying that it is difficult to specify it as a landmine attack means that we need to investigate further to determine whether it was intentional."
To Rep. Kwon's inquiry regarding whether he acknowledges North Korea's responsibility, he replied, "The government defines it as such and seeks to hold them accountable for violating the Armistice Agreement."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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