Bodycam Footage Shows Soldiers "Crawling on Knees," but Moment of Blast Missing

[Anchor]

The National Assembly discussed whether to adopt a resolution condemning North Korea, but it ultimately fell through after failing to reach an agreement. Bodycam footage from the landmine explosion, reviewed behind closed doors by lawmakers, showed injured soldiers struggling to evacuate the scene, but the moment of the blast was missing.

Reporter Park Jae-yeon reports.

[Reporter]

The National Assembly's National Defense Committee session continued until 10:50 p.m. last night (September 29).

The ruling and opposition parties discussed adopting a resolution condemning North Korea over the landmine explosion.

While there was no disagreement over the condemnation itself, the adoption of the committee resolution was derailed as the Democratic Party opposed the People Power Party's demand to include a "reconsideration of humanitarian aid to North Korea," arguing that "no aid is currently underway."

[Han Kee-ho / People Power Party Lawmaker: "They receive humanitarian aid while killing and injuring our soldiers like this?"]

[Kim Byung-joo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "There is no aid to North Korea currently being pursued. I see this as picking a fight with unreasonable demands."]

In the closed-door meeting, the military showed lawmakers footage recorded on bodycams worn by soldiers on the day of the landmine explosion.

The video reportedly showed South Korean troops moving at the site before and after the blast.

[Hwang Myung-sun / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "Seeing our wounded soldiers crawling out on their knees because the passage was too narrow, dragging their injured bodies and crawling on their stomachs, was truly heartbreaking."]

[Kim Byung-joo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "Because the cleared passage was only 1 meter wide, they had to take side steps, step by step like this. The injured sergeant said, 'I will crawl, so please bring the battalion commander,' and crawled back slowly."]

However, the military stated that the moment of the landmine explosion—key to determining the truth—was not captured on the video.

[Kang Shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: "I do not know the reason, but that moment is clearly missing, though the footage before and after exists."]

Some lawmakers reportedly heard explanations from military officials that certain moments were not recorded by the bodycams due to issues such as battery problems.

The rival parties clashed again today over who bears responsibility between the former and current administrations.

The conservative opposition unilaterally convened the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, sharply criticizing what it called the "disappearance of national security and diplomacy," claiming that President Lee Jae-myung had not released a stance on North Korea and was late in visiting the wounded soldiers.

The ruling bloc countered that North Korea's border fortification measures began in 2024 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, arguing that the former government was negligent in assessing the situation and preparing protective measures for service members.

(Video by Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Wi Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.