'Government, military must disclose truth swiftly and transparently'

'Six locations already encroaching 10–15 meters south of MDL'

People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said Monday that the explosion in the Army's 25th Division's demilitarized zone occurred near a minefield laid by North Korean forces south of the MDL between last year and early this year. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said Monday that the explosion in the Army's 25th Division's demilitarized zone occurred near a minefield laid by North Korean forces south of the MDL between last year and early this year. [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, said Monday that the site of a suspected mine explosion in the Army's 25th Division's demilitarized zone was "near a minefield that North Korean forces laid south of the MDL between last year and early this year," citing well-informed sources.

Speaking at a press conference that day, Yoo called on the Ministry of National Defense and military authorities to "disclose the truth swiftly and transparently." He acknowledged that it had not yet been confirmed whether the mine that exploded was planted by North Korean forces, but stressed that he had already revealed at a National Assembly interpellation session on Sept. 10 that six locations within the 25th Division's Alert zone — including North Korean-laid minefields — had encroached approximately 10 to 15 meters south of the MDL.

Yoo directly criticized the military's handling of the situation. He said the Defense Ministry had "consistently taken an ambiguous and passive stance" on the issue of North Korean minefields crossing the MDL, offering responses such as "we have identified some terrain changes," "we are consulting with the UN Command," and "we cannot confirm." He added that while the government and military authorities gave "irresponsible answers," South Korean troops suffered an explosion that cannot rule out the possibility of a North Korean mine.

He then put four demands to the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The demands were: a full accounting of the exact location, circumstances and type of explosive involved, as well as who planted it; disclosure of the number, locations and scale of additional North Korean minefields identified south of the MDL; confirmation that emergency treatment and evacuation of the injured troops were handled appropriately; and transparent disclosure of when the military first became aware of the danger, what was reported to the Defense Ministry, the presidential office and the president, and what instructions and measures followed.

"As a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, I will rigorously scrutinize the cause of the accident and the response of the military and the commander in chief to the very end," Yoo said. "On matters of national security — protecting the lives of our troops and the MDL, which is our territory — no fact should be minimized or concealed." He also wished the injured soldiers a swift recovery.

Earlier Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said three military officers were injured in an unidentified explosion while conducting operations at a point south of the MDL in the western front's DMZ. Two were airlifted by emergency helicopter, while a third was to be transported by road before being evacuated by helicopter. The injured were transferred to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital; two were in serious condition and one sustained minor injuries. The 25th Division's Alert zone covers Paju, Yangju and Yeoncheon-gun in Gyeonggi Province.

Since the Kim Jong-un regime declared inter-Korean relations to be those of "two hostile states" in late 2023, North Korea has been carrying out "border demarcation" work along the MDL since 2024, including laying mines and installing fences and tactical roads. The Joint Chiefs of Staff had maintained that it "identified some terrain changes and is closely consulting with the UN Command on the possibility of mine-laying." The military is investigating the circumstances of the incident and the type of explosive involved.


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com