Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is cutting short a trip to Europe and returning home early after the explosion in the Demilitarized Zone was confirmed to have been caused by a mine laid by North Korea.
The Unification Ministry said on the 30th that Chung will cancel visits to Ireland and Germany after wrapping up his schedule in Northern Ireland and return to Seoul on Oct. 1, four days earlier than originally planned.
Chung had been scheduled to deliver a special lecture in Dublin on Oct. 1, then travel to Germany to attend the 36th anniversary ceremony of German unification as a government representative before returning on Oct. 5.
The situation changed abruptly after the defense minister confirmed earlier that day that the DMZ explosion had been caused by a mine planted by North Korea. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula rose further after Pyongyang responded quickly with a statement from Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party, prompting the judgment that inter-Korean relations needed closer management.
As late as the previous morning, the ministry had played down the prospect of an early return, saying Chung was receiving prompt briefings on the matter and reviewing the situation from abroad.
