"North Korea Came Down, Didn't They?" Reporter Erupts Over Landmine Questions as Defense Ministry Dodges

On the morning of yesterday (September 21), a suspected landmine explosion occurred during a search operation in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by a frontline unit of the Army's 25th Infantry Division.

Three soldiers were confirmed injured in the incident, including two who suffered severe injuries, and a question-and-answer session from a regular Ministry of National Defense briefing held a week prior to the accident is belatedly drawing attention.

At the time, a reporter strongly pressed military authorities on signs of North Korean troops laying landmines, but the public affairs director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff offered only repetitive answers, repeatedly citing "standards and principles."

[Reporter: Can we understand that this terrain change was not just a simple border crossing, but that work had been conducted there over a certain period?]

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: Yes, you may understand that there were terrain changes because work was carried out.]

[Reporter: Then while North Korea came down and worked there all that time, what response did our military take?]

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: I will say that we took operational measures in accordance with standards and principles.]

[Reporter: Then as a result, does the fact that work was done and certain terrain changes occurred mean there is a problem with our military's principled response measures?]

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: I cannot agree that there is a problem. I will say that we are taking resolute operational measures in accordance with standards and principles.]

As the same answers kept returning despite persistent questioning, the reporter raised their voice.

[Reporter: North Korea worked there and planted landmines. They came down south of our MDL (Military Demarcation Line).]

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: I never said that they laid landmines.]

[Reporter: Doesn't the fact that terrain changes occurred mean that they were doing work there?]

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: There are various types of terrain changes. (What kind of change is it this time?) It is inappropriate for us to confirm every detail. We identified that there were terrain changes, and we are closely consulting with the United Nations Command regarding the possibility that landmines were laid.]

[Reporter: North Korean troops came down south of the MDL, carried out work, planted landmines, and altered the terrain, but you say you can't tell us for security reasons—then what can you tell us? You failed to take proper measures, didn't you?]

[Jang Doyoung / Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs Director: I cannot agree with the statement that we failed to take measures, and in accordance with standards and principles...]

Currently, South Korean military authorities are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident, including the possibility of a landmine detonation, but stated that it has not yet been confirmed whether the explosive was indeed a landmine, or if so, whether it was planted by North Korean or South Korean forces.

Netizens who watched the video clip reacted with comments such as, "I can feel the anger in the reporter's questions," and "It makes me so angry to see the Ministry of National Defense's insincere answers."

Story by Yoon Sung-sik | Video by Kim Na-on | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.