"No Political Strife" vs. "Subservience to North Korea"... Lawmakers to Question Defense Ministry Today

[Anchor]

Following the military's briefing last night (September 28), both the Democratic Party (MINJU) and the People Power Party voiced in unison that South Korea must respond sternly if it is concluded that the landmine was planted by North Korea. The ruling and opposition parties will question the Ministry of National Defense at the National Assembly today regarding the landmine explosion.

This is reporter Park Chan-beom.

[Reporter]

Lawmakers on the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, excluding those from the People Power Party, visited the Army's 25th Infantry Division, where the landmine explosion occurred.

[Kim Byung-joo / Member of the National Assembly, Democratic Party (MINJU): "Didn't you say you requested an analysis (by the National Forensic Service) of key pieces of evidence—fragments and military gear?"]

[Military Official: "We initially sent 10 collected items, including clothing and military gear, (to the National Forensic Service) on September 22."]

The Democratic Party (MINJU) maintains that the incident should not be turned into a target for political strife.

[Kim Min-seok / Leader, Democratic Party (MINJU): "The investigation into the explosion must be conducted transparently and thoroughly without political bickering or partisan calculations."]

People Power Party lawmakers boycotted the visit, arguing that visiting the 25th Division would only disrupt the military unit,

[Lim Jong-deuk / Member of the National Assembly, People Power Party: "What the site needs right now is incident recovery, maintaining defense readiness, and the stability of the troops."]

and lashed out at the ruling bloc for being subservient to North Korea while walking on eggshells.

[Jang Dong-hyeok / Leader, People Power Party: "If the president ordered a cover-up of the accident, it is an act of aiding the enemy and treason by inviting foreign aggression that warrants not just impeachment, but an immediate investigation."]

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, who visited the National Assembly, denied allegations that the on-site investigation had been delayed out of concern over North Korea, stating that stern measures will be taken if the incident is determined to be the work of the North Korean military.

[Kang Shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: "Corresponding responses and measures are necessary, and we will proceed accordingly."]

Meanwhile, the rival parties agreed to convene a plenary meeting of the National Defense Committee this afternoon to conduct questioning on pending issues regarding the landmine explosion.

(Video by Lee Seung-hwan and Shin Dong-hwan [SHINDONG] | Video Editing by Nam Il)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.