'Catering to Kim Jong-un' vs. 'Dangerous to Conclude It Was North Korea'

[Anchor]

Political clashes are intensifying over the military's on-site investigation, which took place only six days after the incident. While the People Power Party claimed there was an "intentional delay in the investigation to cater to North Korea's feelings" and even referred to it as an "act of treason," the Democratic Party dismissed it as a "conspiracy theory" and mere agitation.

Reporter Park Jae-yeon reports.

[Reporter]

The People Power Party defined a landmine explosion that occurred on September 21 in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the western front as North Korea's doing, taking issue with the government's response.

Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and Song Seok-joon, chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, held consecutive press conferences criticizing the delayed on-site investigation.

[Song Seok-joon / People Power Party Lawmaker (Chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee): "As time passes and rain falls, the site is damaged, making it difficult to determine the exact cause. Our soldier lost an ankle during an operation, yet are they saying they won't verify it immediately!"]

They also argued questioning whether this was an "intentional delay" to cover up North Korea's actions, a "ground for impeachment," or a "crime of aiding the enemy."

[Jang Dong-hyeok / People Power Party Leader: "If the on-site investigation was deliberately delayed, this is a clear act of treason. Anyone clinging to catering to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's feelings is a murderer and a traitor."]

The Democratic Party dismissed the claims as merely a conspiracy theory, countering that "determining the facts comes first."

[Kwon Chil-seung / Democratic Party Policy Committee Chief: "Above all, determining the exact cause comes first. We must objectively investigate the origin of the explosive and the circumstances of the incident..."]

They launched a counterattack, stating that any cover-up is impossible given that the United Nations Command is accompanying the investigation, and argued that "the People Power Party is using a soldier's blood as fodder for agitation."

The Democratic Party maintains that it cannot be concluded as North Korea's doing until accurate investigation results are available, cautioning against premature judgment.

[Cho Gye-won / Democratic Party Spokesperson: "Could it make sense to claim that a landmine from decades ago was newly planted now to disrupt operations? I think concluding this rashly is an extremely dangerous political statement."]

As the National Assembly's National Defense Committee is set to visit the Army's 25th Infantry Division tomorrow (September 28), where the incident occurred, to conduct an on-site inspection, the People Power Party also wants to hold a separate parliamentary questioning session on pending issues.

Fact-finding efforts at the parliamentary level are expected to continue regarding the cause of the incident and the adequacy of the military's response.

(Video by Oh Young-choon | Video Editing by Kim Ho-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.