President orders military to work with UN Command on investigation; cabinet meeting also addresses surplus tax revenue and key social policies

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered the military to work closely with the United Nations Command to conduct a transparent investigation into last week's landmine explosion near the Military Demarcation Line, while warning against the spread of baseless conspiracy theories surrounding the security incident.

Speaking at the opening of a cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee expressed his condolences to the three soldiers seriously wounded in the blast. "I offer my deepest sympathies to the injured soldiers and their families, and wish them a swift recovery," he said.

Lee called for a prompt investigation and decisive follow-up measures. "The military authorities must work in close cooperation with UN Command to swiftly and thoroughly investigate the incident and transparently disclose the truth," he said. "And based on those findings, we will take whatever measures are necessary."

The explosion occurred on Sept. 21, and the military and UN Command began an on-site investigation six days later, on Sunday. On Monday, the military announced interim findings indicating the blast was most likely caused by a North Korean landmine, adding that if confirmed, appropriate measures would be taken.

Lee also cautioned against politicizing the incident and spreading rumors. "There can be no division between the ruling and opposition parties on matters of national security," he said. "I particularly hope no one will stoke baseless conspiracy theories over this incident in ways that undermine national security."

Cheong Wa Dae pushed back against suggestions from some conservative quarters that the on-site investigation had been delayed out of concern that it would undermine the credibility of Lee's recent UN speech, in which he mentioned easing sanctions on North Korea. "The military's on-site investigation of this landmine incident has absolutely nothing to do with the president's UN address," the presidential office said. "It was planned and decided purely on military judgment by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and UN Command, taking into account recommendations from field commanders."

At the same cabinet meeting, Lee said the recent economic momentum must be channeled into improving the livelihoods of ordinary citizens. He noted that the OECD had raised its growth rate outlook for South Korea this year by 1.1 percentage points to 3.7 percent — the largest upward revision among the G20 nations — saying the economy was showing strong growth despite external headwinds. He urged the government to use surplus tax revenue from the recovery to fund three core social policies covering housing, employment and financial support for low-income households, calling it seed money for reducing inequality and delivering tangible improvements to people's lives.

Lee also reaffirmed his commitment to completing his reform agenda. "Reform means correcting the entrenched privileges, abnormalities and irrationalities throughout our society to build a fair and reasonable world where everyone enjoys equal opportunity," he said. "We cannot stop this reform simply because resistance is strong or backlash is fierce." He added that no matter how difficult the path, he would fulfill the mandate given by the people to achieve irreversible reform across society.


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