Yoo Yong-won, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, called for a thorough investigation into whether mines laid by North Korean troops caused an explosion that seriously injured three South Korean soldiers in the Army's 25th Infantry Division operational area.
"The exact location and circumstances of the blast, the type of explosive and who laid it must be thoroughly determined," Yoo said at an emergency news conference at the National Assembly on the 21st. He also demanded that the military disclose whether it has identified additional minefields laid by North Korean troops anywhere south of the Military Demarcation Line, along with their precise locations and scale.
According to Yoo, the site of the accident is near a minefield that North Korean forces built south of the MDL between last year and early this year. In the 25th Infantry Division's guard sector alone, six sites including North Korean-laid minefields are known to have encroached about 10 to 15 meters across the MDL.
Yoo said South Korean forces and the United Nations Command are still verifying some of those six areas, raising the possibility that more minefields will be identified. Because such warning signs had been detected in advance, he argued, investigators must closely examine whether the blast was caused by mines laid by North Korean troops. Asked whether he believed North Korean mines were responsible, Yoo said, "I did not say these were clearly mines laid by North Korea. What I am saying is that the possibility cannot be ruled out."
"The Defense Ministry has consistently taken a vague and passive stance on North Korean minefields crossing the MDL, saying it has 'identified some terrain changes,' that it is 'consulting with the UNC,' or that it 'cannot confirm,'" Yoo said. "While the government and military authorities kept giving irresponsible answers, our soldiers today suffered an explosion in an actual DMZ operation that cannot be ruled out as having been caused by North Korean mines."
After the news conference, Yoo added: "Our military has been building routes for search operations inside the Demilitarized Zone, and because North Korean troops laid mines south of the MDL, it is opening new search routes. I understand today's accident also occurred while a new search route was being created. Because it is near mines laid by North Korea, the possibility that they caused the accident cannot be ruled out."
