Explosion in Paju DMZ on Monday leaves 3 soldiers injured

Jang Dong-hyeok says North Korean mines likely to blame

Military, UN Command check access route for site inspection

Democratic Party says soldier safety must come first

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok holds a press conference at the National Assembly on Sunday to address pending issues, including a comprehensive farmland survey and the suspected landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone. [Yonhap]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok holds a press conference at the National Assembly on Sunday to address pending issues, including a comprehensive farmland survey and the suspected landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone. [Yonhap]

Political tensions are escalating over a suspected landmine explosion in the western demilitarized zone. The People Power Party has alleged that military authorities delayed the on-site investigation and is calling for a National Assembly hearing and a full parliamentary investigation. The military, for its part, says safety preparations were necessary before investigators could enter the area.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok held a press conference at the National Assembly on Sunday, saying the explosion was most likely caused by a landmine planted by North Korean troops near the MDL, and urging authorities to explain why the investigation was delayed.

"If President Lee Jae Myung deliberately delayed the on-site investigation, that is a clear act of treason," Jang said. "It is a crime that warrants not only impeachment but immediate detention and trial."

The explosion occurred Monday morning in an area near the MDL under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Two blasts struck during a search-route clearing operation, leaving two soldiers seriously injured and one with minor injuries.

The PPP has taken issue with the fact that an on-site inspection was not conducted immediately after the incident. Lawmaker Na Kyung-won called for a joint hearing of the National Assembly's foreign affairs, security, defense and intelligence committees, and said a parliamentary investigation should be pursued if necessary.

The military offered a different account. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and UN Command inspected access routes, communications and surveillance conditions needed to enter the blast site on Saturday. The military said the area's proximity to the MDL and the absence of existing search routes made safety measures a prerequisite to prevent further casualties.

The Democratic Party also rebuffed the opposition's claims that evidence was being washed away. Rep. Kim Byung-joo, who leads the ruling party's side on the National Assembly's defense committee, said the assertion that "evidence is being washed away is superstition, not science," adding that forensic analysis of explosive fragments and the on-site investigation were already underway.

The Democratic Party again dismissed the opposition's allegations of deliberate concealment and delay as "conspiracy theories" on Sunday. Democratic Party lawmakers on the defense committee plan to visit the 25th Division's DMZ sector Monday to check on the joint on-site investigation and review the unit's alert posture.

Separately, a series of criminal complaints have been filed in connection with the incident. A civic group lodged a complaint with police against President Lee and military commanders on charges including abuse of authority and dereliction of duty, and a separate complaint was filed against Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol.


kwater@heraldcorp.com