Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said on the 28th that the investigation into a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone involving the Army's 25th Infantry Division "must be conducted transparently and thoroughly, without the intrusion of political strife or partisan calculation."
Kim made the remarks at a meeting of the party's supreme council at the National Assembly the same day. "I want to extend my special condolences to the commander and soldiers injured in the DMZ explosion, and to their families," he said. "I hope they recover quickly." He added that he had postponed a hospital visit ahead of the Chuseok holiday because of the severity of the shock to the families.
"Interest in security issues is rising, including the DMZ explosion, U.S.-North Korea talks and the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines. Support for a peace framework between the two Koreas is also growing," Kim said. "The Democratic Party will pursue both strong defense and sustainable peace."
He added that the party would "attend closely to democracy and peace with the public's livelihood at the center, and persistently pursue dialogue and cooperation with the opposition, on the premise that there are no ruling or opposition parties when it comes to solving livelihood issues."
On public sentiment he gathered during the Chuseok holiday, Kim said, "There was strong praise and encouragement for the president's news conference just before the holiday, which people called candid and humble." He added, "The party will faithfully follow the public's demand that we put top priority on delivering results on livelihood issues."
Turning to Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, who is at the center of a dispute over his refusal to renominate Supreme Court justice candidates, Kim said, "Most people found it absurd that he spoke only of other matters throughout his tea meeting with the president, then threw out the refusal to renominate the day after, as soon as the president boarded his plane." He added, "We will take seriously the public's view that properly correcting the judiciary's violations of the constitution and the law is the foundation of 'K-democracy.'"
