Dong-Hoon Han "Ministry of National Defense, joint on-site investigation into DMZ mine explosion accident on the 27th"

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Soo-yoon = Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon claimed on the 26th that the Ministry of National Defense has been identified as conducting a joint on-site investigation of a suspected landmine explosion that occurred within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Western Front on the 27th.

A member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee introduced this schedule at a press conference held in front of the Yongsan Ministry of Defense building on this day, saying that he would explain "the UN Command's request for a prompt on-site investigation and the process by which the Korean government rejected it."

He said, “United Nations Command Commander Xavier Brunson ordered a rapid investigation on the day of the accident on the 21st,” and added, “According to that order, the UNC Military Command Committee visited the 25th Division on the 22nd and requested access to the site and share data, body camera videos, and interviews with the injured. Our military rejected this request.”

“In the end, the UNC insisted on a quick on-site investigation, but due to opposition from the Korean military, they agreed to conduct a joint investigation on the 29th, after the Chuseok holiday,” he said. “It is clear that the Lee Jae-myung government’s Ministry of National Defense initially did not intend to conduct an on-site investigation before the 29th.”

He continued, “I understand that public suspicion and anger built up over this decision, so it was decided to change the date to the 27th and conduct a joint investigation.”

One lawmaker pointed out, "The Democratic Party keeps making excuses for the delay in the on-site investigation. Do you understand that? They say they will start preparing from today and do it on the 27th, but the preparation should have started on the 21st."

Regarding the data provided by the military to the United Nations Command, he explained, "It's only a very short video, presumed to be after the explosion," and "It is impossible to determine the contents (before and after the accident) with that."

One lawmaker claimed that the location of the accident was also different from the military's explanation.

He said, “The military initially revealed that the incident occurred 30 to 50 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), but what the U.S. is really aware of is that it appears that the mine explosion occurred in a location closer to the MDL.”

He continued, "There was heavy rain yesterday, and today is the 6th day since the accident. (The on-site investigation) is already too late, whether it is today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow," he criticized, adding, "In the end, we can only see that it is because the Lee Jae-myung administration is watching the North Korean Kim Jong-un regime."

He also said, “Rejecting the specific demands of the United Nations Command is not an issue that can be addressed at the level of the 25th Division commander,” and added, “It must be clearly stated whether it is the Minister of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Blue House Security Office, or President Lee Jae-myung.”

He said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration is caught in the so-called 'low rain' (technique that is impossible to protect). If you leave heavy rain for six days and say that the cause is unknown due to lack of evidence, this administration will die," and "I will hold them accountable until the end."

Representative Han has been holding one-person protests every day since the 24th, calling for a prompt on-site investigation.