MEXICO CITY — The Presidential Office said it is investigating a suspected landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone while keeping open the possibility that the device belonged to either the North Korean or the South Korean military. Responding to claims from parts of the opposition that the probe has been delayed or that facts are being concealed, the office flatly rejected the allegations, saying there is "not the slightest hidden agenda or cover-up."
A senior Presidential Office official accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on his state visit to Mexico gave the response on the 24th when reporters at a press center set up in Mexico City asked for the government's position on opposition criticism that it has been dragging its feet on the investigation.
"Because I am on an overseas trip, I have been briefed only on the basic facts and do not have full knowledge of the matter. I will speak based on what has been relayed from Seoul," the official said, adding, "There is absolutely no basis for suspicion or doubt about the investigation."
On the cause of the blast, the official said, "We need to establish thoroughly whether it was a mine and, if so, what kind of mine it was, whether North Korea planted it, and if not, how it came to be there." Asked about Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul's statement that all possibilities remain open — a South Korean military mine, a North Korean military mine, deliberate placement or drift — the official said, "I hold exactly the same view," adding, "We have no additional information and are keeping every possibility open."
"The site where the incident occurred is not said to be a safe place," the official said. "When other mines detonated in the past, it happened along the usual routes that were always searched, so personnel could be deployed immediately and move quickly. But this was a place where a new route was being opened, and because the risk is high, we are approaching it cautiously."
The official drew a firm line against the People Power Party's suggestion that the government is intentionally slowing the investigation. "We are conducting it together with the U.N. Command," the official said. "There absolutely cannot be any hidden agenda, anything being kept from view, or any cover-up," adding, "There is no basis for it." The official continued, "If you wait a little, we will move quickly despite the danger, taking that into account, and come back with results to report."
The official also called for a cautious approach to suggestions by some military experts that, judging from the extent of the injuries and the location of the incident, a North Korean wooden-box mine may have been involved. "This is an extremely complex and technical matter," the senior official said. "No matter how expert someone is, if a person who does not know the site and has not been there begins to speculate, the likelihood of being misled is high."
"I myself am not in a position to judge at this point. Everything has to be kept open," the official said. "For now, it would be better to wait for the government's announcement." The official was particularly wary of a situation in which unconfirmed conjecture passes through media coverage and escalates into a political dispute.
Two explosions believed to have been caused by landmines occurred on the 21st in an area near the Military Demarcation Line in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, wounding three South Korean soldiers, including a reconnaissance battalion commander. The government is investigating the exact cause, including the type of mine, who planted it and the possibility that it had drifted from its original location.
