The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a notice to the media that day, "The military and the UNC jointly secured movement routes and surveyed the operational environment today for an on-site investigation into the suspected landmine explosion inside the DMZ."
The JCS said personnel sent into the DMZ that day assessed the safety of movement routes and checked surveillance and communications conditions to verify the overall operational environment.
Those deployed included members of the JCS joint on-site investigation task force led by the JCS deputy chairman, the UNC side including the secretary of the Military Armistice Commission, investigative agencies, and about 20 operational troops.
The JCS added that some of the soldiers who had taken part in the DMZ search-route clearing operation at the time of the Sept. 21 accident volunteered to join.
"We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and explain it transparently to the public," the JCS said. "Based on the on-site investigation and other work, we plan to explain the findings to the public objectively and transparently."
The two suspected landmine blasts occurred at around 10:50 a.m. on Sept. 21 in an area near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, under the Army's 25th Division, while troops were clearing a search route. Two soldiers, including a search battalion commander, were seriously injured and one suffered minor injuries.
The military has since been preparing a joint investigation of the accident site with the UNC. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited the 25th Division on Sept. 23, the JCS director of operations on Sept. 24, and JCS Chairman Jin Young-seung on Sept. 25 to review preparations for the on-site investigation.
Military, UNC enter DMZ on Sept. 26 for preliminary survey
Meanwhile, the opposition has sharply criticized the military for delaying the on-site investigation despite the possibility that North Korean troops planted the mines, saying the delay gives the North time to destroy evidence.
Concerns have also been raised inside and outside the military that rain during the Chuseok holiday may have damaged conditions at the site.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon held a press conference in front of the Defense Ministry building in Yongsan that day, claiming the South Korean government rejected the UNC's request for a prompt on-site investigation. "They say preparations start today and the investigation will be conducted on the 27th," he said.
"UNC Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson ordered a prompt investigation on Sept. 21, the day of the accident," Han said. "Following that order, the UNC Military Armistice Commission visited the 25th Division on the 22nd and requested that data, body-camera footage and interviews with the injured be shared, as well as access to the site. Our military refused the request."
"In the end, the UNC pushed for a prompt on-site investigation, but because of the South Korean military's opposition, they agreed to conduct a joint investigation on the 29th, after the Chuseok holiday," he said. "As public suspicion and anger mounted over that decision, I understand it was ultimately changed to the 27th."
Han has been staging a solo protest since Sept. 24, calling daily for a swift on-site investigation.
