Opposition pushes back on post-Chuseok probe timeline

Jang Dong-hyeok warns delay could constitute 'act of treason'

Han Dong-hoon raises concerns over evidence loss

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday, addressing the DMZ mine blast and other issues including Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae's refusal to accept the ruling bloc's request for a re-nomination. [Yonhap]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday, addressing the DMZ mine blast and other issues including Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae's refusal to accept the ruling bloc's request for a re-nomination. [Yonhap]

Opposition parties kept up their offensive against the government and military Thursday over plans to delay an on-site investigation into a suspected mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone until after the Chuseok holiday. With the cause of the blast still undetermined, critics warned that postponing the probe risks destroying key evidence.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok criticized President Lee on Facebook, saying the president had offered nothing beyond a four-paragraph social media post written immediately after the incident. "There has been not a single word — not on investigating the mine provocation, not on responding to North Korea's repeated provocations," Jang said.

Jang took particular aim at the military's decision on when to conduct the on-site investigation. He said the military had indicated it would wait until after the Chuseok holiday, arguing the delay effectively gave North Korean forces time to destroy evidence.

He cited the 2015 wooden-box mine incident, in which evidence was collected on the day of the blast and a joint on-site investigation with the United Nations Command was conducted two days later. Jang said that if the delay in this case was deliberate, it would constitute "a clear act of treason," and added that if the president had ordered it, the decision could become grounds for impeachment. No evidence has emerged, however, that the president was involved in determining the timing of the investigation.

A Surion helicopter moves along the southern limit line of the DMZ on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday afternoon. [Yonhap]
A Surion helicopter moves along the southern limit line of the DMZ on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday afternoon. [Yonhap]

Jang also criticized the Defense Ministry for refusing to allow People Power Party members to visit the site, and said the party had yet to receive a response to its request to visit after the holiday. He urged authorities to get to the bottom of the incident.

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also called for an immediate on-site investigation. In a Facebook post Thursday, Han said delaying the probe over the holiday could allow rain to wash away evidence or give North Korean troops the opportunity to remove it. He further claimed the area falls outside the coverage of South Korean military surveillance equipment, and asked, "If a war breaks out during the holiday, are we going to take the holiday off and then fight?"

The accident occurred Monday when soldiers were clearing a search route in the western-front DMZ, leaving three service members injured. The military said it has not yet confirmed whether the explosion was caused by a mine planted by North Korean forces. A separate investigation team is analyzing command communications, soldier testimony, body camera footage and explosive residue, and plans to determine the exact cause once the on-site investigation results are also factored in.


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