South Korea's Unification Minister proposes to communicate with North Korea on differences over military demarcation line
Quick Look
- South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young proposed that South Korea and North Korea communicate on differences in determining the military demarcation line to prevent landmine accidents in the DMZ.
- Previously, South Korea accused the North Korean army of laying landmines, causing injuries.
- North Korea's Kim Yo Jong denied this and accused South Korea of directing and acting on its own.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The total length of the military demarcation line between South and North Korea is 240 kilometers, with two kilometers on each side of the north and south as demilitarized zones. According to the armistice agreement, the two sides use the Line of Actual Control as the dividing line, but there are differences in the measurement standards between the two sides and the United Nations Command.
According to South Korean news on the 2nd, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young proposed that South Korea and North Korea meet to discuss differences surrounding the military demarcation line.
Zheng Dongyong said that day that the core reason for the recent landmine explosion accident in the DMZ lies in the differences in the military demarcation line. "The boundaries determined by South Korea, North Korea and the United Nations Command are different. If this problem is not solved, the same accident may happen again at any time."
Chung Dong-young said that as the Minister of Unification, he proposed to the North Korean side that they should meet and communicate, at least on the determination and confirmation of the military demarcation line.
According to the Korean War Armistice Agreement, the two sides regard the actual control line as the military demarcation line. The military demarcation line is 240 kilometers long from east to west, and within two kilometers on both sides of the north and south is the demilitarized zone.
On September 21, a landmine explosion occurred when the 25th Division of the South Korean Army was performing a mission in the demilitarized zone on the South Korean side near the military demarcation line between South Korea and North Korea, injuring three soldiers, two of whom were seriously injured. The South Korean military announced the preliminary investigation results of the accident on the 28th, saying that the accident was "extremely likely to be caused by landmines laid by the North Korean army."
According to a report from the Korean Central News Agency on the 2nd, Kim Yo-jong, Minister of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, made a statement on the same day, condemning the recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, condemning South Korea’s attempt to drag the situation on the Korean Peninsula into a dangerous situation again. Kim Yo-jong said that the landmine explosion incident was a "new farce written and staged by South Korea" and that South Korea's conclusion that the incident was caused by North Korea was "ridiculous."
Open Questions
- Will South Korea and North Korea accept the communication proposal?
- What is the specific investigative evidence of landmine explosions?
