▲ Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said on the 28th that South Korea will "take corresponding measures" if a North Korean mine is confirmed as the cause of an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone. But asked about reports that soldiers at the scene saw a North Korean wooden-box mine, the minister deflected, saying it was "difficult to identify and there are other accounts." On criticism that the military played down or covered up the incident and responded too slowly, he said there was "no deliberate delay or concealment." With public suspicion mounting, the minister offered only boilerplate answers — one hopes this does not mean the case will be quietly dropped if the mine cannot be pinned on the North Korean military.
▲ Conservative politicians are up in arms over "Assassin(s)," a film about the 1974 shooting of first lady Yook Young-soo, calling it "a cunning distortion of history" and "a malicious criminal act." Their complaint is that the film portrays former President Park Chung-hee as the real mastermind, contrary to the government's official findings at the time. Joo Jin-woo, a lawmaker with the People Power Party, shared a 2002 news article headlined "Kim Jong-il Apologizes for Attempt to Assassinate Former President Park Chung-hee." Cinematic imagination and freedom of expression deserve respect, but it leaves a bitter taste to see content built on conspiracy theories deepen the divisions in our society.
