Group alleges abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and general treason

A Surion helicopter flies over the southern limit line of the demilitarized zone on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Three soldiers were wounded Saturday in what is believed to have been a land mine explosion in the nearby DMZ. [Yonhap]
A Surion helicopter flies over the southern limit line of the demilitarized zone on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Three soldiers were wounded Saturday in what is believed to have been a land mine explosion in the nearby DMZ. [Yonhap]

A civic group has filed a police complaint against President Lee Jae-myung and senior military commanders in connection with a suspected land mine explosion in the western front demilitarized zone.

The Seomin Minsaeng Daechaek Committee filed the complaint Saturday with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against nine individuals — including President Lee, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, former Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek and current Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol — on charges of abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and general treason, according to Yonhap.

In the complaint, the group said the military had failed to respond adequately to reports of altered terrain and suspected land mine placement following a North Korean military crossing of the MDL in June.

"President Lee, as commander in chief, acted improperly by allowing a situation to develop in which our troops were bound to be injured in the DMZ explosion on Monday," the group said, adding that his conduct amounted to abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and general treason.

The group also named Wi, the former defense minister and the current defense minister as co-conspirators in general treason for allegedly turning a blind eye to the situation, and said they face additional charges of abuse of authority.

The complaint further alleged that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had misled the public and endangered national security by maintaining what it called an irresponsible and groundless position despite persistent media questions about the MDL crossing and suspected mine-laying.

The incident occurred Monday morning at around 10:50 a.m. near the MDL in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in an area under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division. Two suspected land mine blasts went off while troops were conducting a search-route clearing operation, wounding three soldiers including the search battalion commander.


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