Kwon Young-se, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, called for a strong government response to a mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone on the western front on the 21st, believed to have been caused by North Korean troops, saying that "we should do more than simply restoring the loudspeaker broadcasts to the level used after the 2015 incident."
Speaking on KBS 1 Radio's "Breaking Current Affairs" on the 30th, Kwon said, "This incident itself is an extremely serious one." He added, "One of our soldiers suffered severe injuries with his ankle nearly severed, and the other two also sustained injuries that were not minor."
"We clearly must take corresponding measures on this matter, but looking at this series of events, we cannot help criticizing why our government's North Korea policy is so submissive and conciliatory," he said. "We need to take a firm stance in line with the will of the entire public."
Earlier, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul agreed at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee on the 29th that the accident was caused by mines laid by North Korean troops, saying, "The violation of the armistice agreement is clear and North Korea bears responsibility, so we will take corresponding measures." He declined to elaborate on the specific measures, saying, "That is also an operational matter." The ministry's position is that it will hold North Korea accountable in coordination with the United Nations Command and the international community once the final investigation results are released.
"Aid to North Korea should also be comprehensively reviewed," Kwon said. "Only by clearly showing that we punish North Korea's problematic actions can we properly control it."
Concerns have been raised that inter-Korean tensions could rise again if resuming loudspeaker broadcasts is adopted as an actual response option. Kwon called it "a worrying aspect" but stressed that "peace does not come from showing submissiveness." He added, "Peace is maintained when we build our strength and respond on principle. If we come out weak, there is a possibility of being drawn into war."
On the friction between South Korea and Ukraine over two North Korean prisoners of war repatriated to South Korea, he said, "It is not appropriate for the two sides to quarrel over the issue of disclosure," calling for a swift resolution. "I think our government did well to make the effort to bring the prisoners to our side," Kwon said, while adding, "Once they have entered South Korean soil, it cannot be kept secret indefinitely."
"It is difficult to understand why the government tried so hard to keep this secret, and why it has protested so sensitively to Ukraine even after their arrival," he said. "This kind of conflict needs to be resolved quickly."
