Jeong Dong-young “Landmines are defensive weapons… It is difficult to establish a ‘landmine attack’” (comprehensive)

Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young maintained his position that "it is difficult to pinpoint (North Korea's) intentionality" regarding the landmine explosion that occurred in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Minister Chung received a related question from People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-se during a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 27th, and said, "From a Korean perspective, the term 'landmine attack' is difficult to establish," and added, "Landmines are defensive weapons."

In response to a follow-up question about whether North Korea acknowledged responsibility, the government responded, "The government defines it that way and seeks to determine responsibility for violating the armistice agreement."

When Rep. Park Chung-kwon of the People Power Party asked whether he was willing to cancel his statement that "landmines are defensive weapons," Minister Chung said, "I have no intention of doing so," and explained, "I am not saying that North Korean landmines are defensive, but that landmines are basically defensive weapons."

In response to independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon's point that "if you climb over someone else's wall and plant a landmine in front of the front door, it's an attack," he countered, "It's difficult to pinpoint intentionality at the moment (since perceptions of the military demarcation line between South and North Korea are different)."

In response to continued criticism from opposition party members, Minister Chung emphasized that the root of the problem is that South and North Korea have different perceptions of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), and that "our government's purpose is to create peace and stability by harmonizing this."

Minister Chung said about the intention of the threatening discourse against South Korea recently made by North Korean figures, including Labor Party Director Kim Yo-jong, saying, "Looking at what has appeared now, it appears that there is a strong intention to complete the 'borderization' project as scheduled and on time," and "Through this ('borderization' work), they are revealing their intention to solidify the 'hostile relationship'."

In response to Rep. Kwon's point out that Minister Jeong's attitude of emphasizing dialogue despite North Korea's threats is 'low-profile' and 'humiliating', Minister Jeong responded by saying, "Returning the (Demilitarized Zone) to the state it was in before the September 19 military agreement was suspended is a fundamental solution and is beneficial to both South and North Korea," with the intention that emphasizing dialogue is not a low-level stance.

He then emphasized, "There has been no accident like this (such as a landmine explosion) in the DMZ for five years since the military agreement on September 19, 2018," and "The DMZ has been managed peacefully. The possibility of accidental conflict has also been reduced."