Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stated that "efforts for fundamental peace have become all the more urgent," referring to injuries sustained by South Korean soldiers from landmines planted by North Korea in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Minister Chung made the remarks in his opening address during the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit of the Unification Ministry, held at the Office of Inter-Korean Dialogue in Jongno-gu, emphasizing, "We must thoroughly prepare to ensure that such misfortunes never happen again."

He described it as an "unfortunate incident," noting that South Korean service members were injured by mines laid by North Korea in the DMZ.

Minister Chung explained, "President Lee Jae-myung repeatedly presented three blueprints for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula through his National Liberation Day address and his keynote speech at the UN General Assembly," adding, "We will proceed with follow-up measures without a hitch."

He stressed, "The most core task is to end the long-standing war on the Korean Peninsula and establish a peace regime," emphasizing that "we must transform the unstable situation—where military tensions persist and hostility and confrontation recur under the armistice regime—into lasting and stable peace."

He pledged, "As a direct party to Korean Peninsula affairs and as a proactive peacemaker, the government will dedicate all its capabilities so that discussions for a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula can take place."

In its policy report, the Unification Ministry assessed that North Korea continues to assert its "status as a nuclear weapons state," is watching developments, and is exploring room for dialogue with the United States.

Regarding its policy toward South Korea, the ministry analyzed that Pyongyang institutionalized "DPRK-ROK relations" by incorporating the party's "Bureau 10" into the Foreign Ministry.

(Photo: Yonhap News)