Controversy is widening over an explosion believed to have been caused by a landmine on the 21st near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who has been staging a protest since the 24th demanding a prompt on-site investigation, vowed to "hold them accountable to the end," saying the Lee Jae-myung government has been cornered with no way out.
Han, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, told a press conference outside the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan on the 26th that "the U.N. Command called for a swift on-site investigation, but because of opposition from the South Korean military, the two sides agreed to conduct a joint investigation on the 29th, after the Chuseok holiday ends." He argued that "it is clear the Defense Ministry under the Lee Jae-myung government had no intention of conducting an on-site investigation before the 29th."
In making that point, he also said the military and the U.N. Command would carry out a joint investigation on the 27th. "The Democratic Party keeps making excuses about why the on-site investigation was delayed, but does that make sense?" Han said. "They say they are starting preparations today and will do it on the 27th, but those preparations should have begun on the 21st."
Han said U.N. Command Commander Xavier Brunson ordered a swift investigation on the 21st, the day of the accident, and that under that order the U.N. Command's Military Armistice Commission visited the 25th Division on the 22nd to request access to the site and the sharing of records, body camera footage and interviews with the injured, but that the South Korean military refused the request.
Han also claimed the location of the accident differs from the military's account. "The military said early on that the incident occurred 30 to 50 meters south of the MDL, but what the United States actually understands appears to be that the mine explosion took place at a location closer to the MDL than that," he said.
"It rained heavily yesterday, and today marks the sixth day since the accident. Whether the on-site investigation happens today, tomorrow or the day after, it is already far too late," he said. "In the end, it can only be seen as the Lee Jae-myung government deferring to North Korea's Kim Jong-un regime." He added that "refusing the U.N. Command's specific requests is not something that can be decided at the level of the 25th Division commander," and said it must be made clear "whether it was the defense minister, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the presidential national security office or President Lee Jae-myung."
Meanwhile, the military and the U.N. Command deployed troops inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the 26th for preparatory work ahead of an on-site investigation into the suspected landmine explosion that occurred recently on the western front.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a notice to the media that day that "the military and the U.N. Command jointly conducted work today to secure access routes and survey the operational environment for an on-site investigation into the suspected landmine explosion inside the DMZ."
At around 10:50 a.m. on the 21st, two suspected landmine explosions occurred while troops were carrying out an operation to clear a search route in an area adjacent to the MDL in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division, seriously injuring two people including a search battalion commander and slightly injuring one more. The military has since been preparing a joint investigation of the site with the U.N. Command. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited the 25th Division on the 23rd, followed by the JCS operations chief on the 24th and JCS Chairman Jin Young-seung on the 25th, to review preparations for the on-site investigation. The military's position is that thorough safety measures must come first, given that the site of the accident is close to the MDL and has no existing search route, making it a high-risk area.
Opposition politicians, however, have mounted a strong offensive, saying the military is delaying the on-site investigation at a time when North Korean troops may have laid the mines, and that this gives the North time to destroy evidence.
