Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said on the 6th that the mine-clearing operation South Korean troops carried out a day earlier at the site of a North Korean mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone was "the first of its kind in the history of our DMZ," adding, "I consider it a resolute response." He was answering a question about criticism that the response had been too passive and defensive.
Kang made the remarks in a meeting with reporters at the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan District, Seoul, on the morning of the 6th. "Our comrades were seriously wounded by mines that North Korea laid under the pretext of what it calls fortifying the border, while they were carrying out a legitimate operation," he said. "That is why our military took the necessary action yesterday."
Inside and outside the military, however, some question how the operation can be called resolute when no reciprocal measures have been taken over the soldiers who suffered serious and minor injuries in the mine blast. Critics also say the mine-clearing operation amounts to nothing more than a belated response to an armistice violation, because the mines were laid 10 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line, meaning North Korea had crossed south of the MDL.
A military official said, "Full responsibility for the MDL mine explosion lies with North Korea, and our military will respond resolutely to any act that threatens our national security." On the timing of further mine-clearing operations, the official said, "The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United Nations Command will continue to assess North Korea's armistice violations and conduct operations accordingly."
On the 5th, the military announced the final findings of its investigation, concluding that South Korean soldiers had been wounded by mines North Korea laid south of the MDL, and destroyed the North Korean mines buried around the site using explosives. It was the military's first substantive response to the North Korean mine blast in the DMZ, and the first time South Korean forces have physically cleared a North Korean minefield laid south of the MDL as part of the North's border fortification work.
The military also signaled that it would continue clearing operations unless North Korea voluntarily removes the minefields south of the MDL. Asked about further follow-up steps after the operation, Kang said, "We will continue to take the necessary measures," while declining to elaborate. "We are considering many different options, so it is difficult to discuss them here," he said.
A military source said, "The fact is that there are many difficulties in resolving this immediately, because South Korea, North Korea and the United Nations Command each have different assessments and perceptions of the situation surrounding the North's crossing of the Military Demarcation Line." The source added, "To verify these points with one another, the North Korean military authorities need to come to the table for three-way talks that include the UNC."
An official at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee said, "The mine-clearing operation the military announced is an admission by the military itself that it cannot take reciprocal measures over the soldiers who suffered serious and minor injuries in the mine blast." The official added, "The military claims this is a resolute measure, but it is merely a belated recovery of territory after North Korea's minefield encroached south of the MDL — it is not a reciprocal measure."
