[Anchor]

North Korea has yet to respond to South Korea's proposal for military talks regarding a landmine explosion incident. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul stated that he had anticipated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China and proposed military talks ahead of it. Meanwhile, the South Korean military faced strong criticism over its readiness posture after a woman in her 30s breached the Civilian Control Line and damaged a front-line fence.

Noh Dong-gyu reports.

[Reporter]

At the parliamentary audit of the Ministry of National Defense today (October 26).

In response to a ruling party lawmaker's question asking why South Korea proposed inter-Korean military talks on October 23, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul indicated that it was because he anticipated North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un's visit to China the following day, October 24.

[Kim Byung-joo / Democratic Party Lawmaker: Why did you propose military talks?]

[Kang Shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: We anticipated the timing of (Kim Jong Un's) visit to China, and under various strategic considerations, we made the proposal believing that this was when we should make the offer.]

Minister Kang explained that he viewed Kim Jong Un's visit to China as serving purposes for "North Korea-Russia and North Korea-China relations," as well as "various intentions regarding North Korea-U.S. dialogue and managing the Korean Peninsula."

Addressing an opposition lawmaker's criticism that response measures following the landmine explosion were inadequate, Kang explained that North Korean military leadership's urgent inspection of the Military Demarcation Line on October 21 was also prompted by our military's response. While noting that follow-up measures included both non-physical and physical actions, he did not elaborate on specific details.

[Han Ki-ho / People Power Party Lawmaker: Detonating the remaining landmines was all you did. What are you going to do now?]

[Kang Shin-chul / Minister of National Defense: Why else would Kim Yo Jong and Pak Jong Chon suddenly rush to the front line?]

The military's guard posture also came under scrutiny.

It was confirmed that a woman in her 30s crossed the Civilian Control Line without authorization in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, and damaged fiber-optic surveillance sensors installed on a front-line General Outpost (GOP) barbed-wire fence.

[Sung Il-jong / People Power Party Lawmaker: What on earth was the military doing for 20 hours? She entered near the Civilian Control Line, and 20 hours later, the fiber-optic sensors were severed. This is an extremely grave matter.]

The woman entered the Civilian Control Line area without permission on October 24 and was apprehended the next day while cutting the fence sensors in several places with scissors and other tools, prompting mounting criticism that vulnerabilities remain in the military's border readiness.

(Video by Wi Won-yang)