Ministry issues statement after military concludes North planted mines south of MDL

Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young answers reporters' questions as he arrives at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu on Friday, having cut short a trip to Europe following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone linked to North Korea. [Yonhap]
Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young answers reporters' questions as he arrives at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu on Friday, having cut short a trip to Europe following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone linked to North Korea. [Yonhap]

The Ministry of Unification said Tuesday it would continue efforts toward a peace process on the Korean Peninsula, responding to the military's final investigation findings that a landmine explosion in the western Demilitarized Zone was caused by wooden and plastic mines North Korea deliberately planted south of the Military Demarcation Line.

In a statement issued that day, the ministry said it would "continue working to break the vicious cycle of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula and build a virtuous cycle of peace and prosperity."

"Now that the final investigation results have been announced, the Ministry of Unification will work closely with the Defense Ministry and other relevant agencies to review necessary measures in accordance with the findings," the statement said. "We will strive to pursue a fundamental peace solution through 'goodwill-for-goodwill' communication rather than 'force-for-force' confrontation."

A ministry official, speaking to reporters at Government Complex Seoul on Tuesday, addressed Kim Yo-jong's rejection of Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young's proposal for inter-Korean talks on MDL alignment. "We will not be swayed by the North's reactions and will make consistent efforts to tear down the wall of mutual distrust between the two Koreas," the official said.

Kim, a senior Korean Workers' Party official, had flatly rejected Jeong's proposal on Friday, calling it "a delusion not worth responding to and a one-sided lament."

Asked about the Defense Ministry's separate mention of the need to hold inter-Korean military talks for MDL alignment work, the ministry official said the two ministries shared the same position.

"There is no answer yet, but the military proposed military talks in November last year, and on Monday — Armed Forces Day — the president urged dialogue while emphasizing the need to build military trust," the official said. "The unification minister has also stated that dialogue and communication are needed to confirm the boundary line."

The military announced its final investigation findings Monday at a briefing at the Defense Ministry in Yongsan, Seoul, concluding that the explosion in the western DMZ was caused by plastic anti-personnel mines that North Korean troops had planted after crossing south of the MDL under the pretext of "border fortification" work.


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