On Military's 'DMZ North Korean Mine' Announcement, Kim Yo-jong Calls It "Seoul's Staged Farce"

[Anchor]

Minister of National Defense Kang shin-chul stated that North Korea's laying of landmines across the Military Demarcation Line is a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement. He also said that "corresponding measures" to hold North Korea accountable would be implemented in phases.

Kim Hye-young reports.

[Reporter]

The military stated that the United Nations Command shared its assessment that the locations where the North Korean landmines were found were south of the Military Demarcation Line.

[Kwon Dae-won / Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "What the UNC recognizes is that the fourth mine found today, the crater from the first explosion where the staff sergeant was injured, and the crater where the battalion commander was injured—these three are clearly south of the MDL (Military Demarcation Line)...."]

Defense Minister Kang shin-chul emphasized that North Korea's violation of the Armistice Agreement is clear and that "corresponding measures" will be taken.

[Kang shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: "(North Korea's) violation of the Armistice Agreement is clear, and because the responsibility lies with North Korea, we will carry out corresponding measures and implement them in phases."]

During North Korea's wooden-box landmine provocation on August 4, 2015, the South Korean military announced six days later that it was the work of the North Korean military and resumed loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea for the first time in 11 years.

In response, North Korea launched an artillery attack on August 20, ten days after the broadcasts resumed, and South Korean forces returned fire, bringing tensions to a peak; however, after four consecutive days of marathon high-level talks at Panmunjom, the two sides reached an agreement in which North Korea expressed regret and South Korea halted the loudspeaker broadcasts, defusing the military tension.

Minister Kang, however, refrained from elaborating on specific methods for the "corresponding measures."

[Kang shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: "There is working in cooperation with the international community, and there are ways to respond effectively in a military manner."]

Various options, such as resuming psychological warfare including loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, are being mentioned. What level and method of "corresponding measures" the military will choose based on the final investigation findings, and how North Korea will react, are expected to be key to managing the situation going forward.

Video by Jo Chun-dong and SHINDONG Hwan | Video Editing by Jeong SUNGHOON
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.