Defense Ministry takes witness statements indicating wooden-box landmine likely
Leaders of South Korea's two main parties urged Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul to carry out a thorough probe into two blasts that occurred last week in the Demilitarized Zone on the border of the two Koreas.
The urging came as chairs of both parties at the National Assembly on Monday received Kang, who assumed office as the defense minister on Sept. 22, just a day after the explosion that injured three military officers.
Rep. Kim Min-seok, chair of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, called for a "thorough and transparent" investigation.
"I hope for a thorough and transparent investigation, for the sake of the national security and the safety of our troops and the military," he told Kang.
People Power Party Chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, meanwhile, used his meeting with Kang to condemn the liberal Lee Jae Myung administration's failure to immediately launch a joint probe with the United Nations Command to investigate the explosion, as well as its unrelated move to merge military academies.
Jang stressed that the explosions "cannot be tolerated" if the cause was found to be a North Korean-made landmine, which would thereby constitute an act of provocation.
Labeling Lee as "incapable of ensuring South Korea's national security," Jang called on Kang to "stand up" to the administration.
"The last chance to safeguard South Korea from the national security crisis rests on the shoulders of the defense minister," Jang said. "The minister must be willing to stand up to the president and answer people's call, even at the risk of losing (his) position."
Kang said in response that he would work to build a victorious military that is "ruthless toward the enemy and beloved by the people."
Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the People Power Party told reporters after Jang's meeting with Kang behind closed doors that the investigation to reveal the truth behind the DMZ incident must be thoroughly conducted.
The politician’s calls stemmed from Seoul’s silence for a week after the incident regarding its plans for an investigation at the site.
As the cause of the explosions remains unidentified, the Joint Chiefs of Staff has taken witness statements indicating that the likely culprit was one or more wooden-box landmines.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Monday, there were statements from witnesses that what exploded at the time "resembled that of the wooden-box," adding the witnesses were trained military personnel who could tell the differences between South Korean-made mines and enemy's ones.
There was also a statement that not all landmines at the scene had exploded, which requires confirmation through a probe at the site.
Additionally, members of the National Defense Committee from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the minor Reform Party ― led by the committee's chair Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the Democratic Party ― were scheduled to visit the Demilitarized Zone on Monday, but no further details were available as of press time.
consnow@heraldcorp.com