Battle between the ruling and opposition parties on the National Defense Commission... Conflict over DMZ land mine explosion site inspection

Battle between the ruling and opposition parties on the National Defense Commission... “Hearing the story at the scene provides in-depth verification”, “I can’t go to the accident scene”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Soo-yoon and Park Jae-ha = On the 26th, secretaries of the ruling and opposition parties belonging to the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly fought over the issue of on-site verification of a suspected mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and inquiries into pending issues.

The Democratic Party of Korea proposed on-site verification by the ruling and opposition parties, saying that 'frontline soldiers are becoming kindling of political strife', but the People Power Party dismissed it as 'a show that cannot be attended to on-site' and called for holding an inquiry on pending issues at the National Defense Commission level.

Rep. Kim Byeong-ju of the Democratic Party, a member of the ruling party on the National Defense Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly on this day and said, "The National Defense Committee members decided to visit and inspect the unit at the scene of the accident in person on the 28th. It is a much more in-depth verification to hear directly from the field commander and operation soldiers rather than questioning the report in a conference room."

Representative Kim pointed out, “The People Power Party has refused to visit the site every day, demanding that a plenary meeting of the National Defense Commission be held to inquire about current issues.” He added, “If you call for the truth and avoid the site where the truth is, it is no different from confessing that what you want is not the truth, but a stage for political strife.”

He then urged the participation of the People Power Party, saying, “Starting with a site visit, the National Defense Commission will verify the results of the joint field investigation and National Forensic Service analysis until the end.”

Accordingly, Rep. Lim Jong-deuk of the People's Power Party, the opposition secretary of the National Defense Committee, held a press conference with his party's defense committee members and criticized, "You say you are so worried about the safety of soldiers, but why are politicians flocking to the unit, which was supposed to resolve the chaos immediately after the accident, and trying to place another burden on them?"

Representative Lim pointed out, “Members of the National Assembly cannot enter the accident site just because they visit the unit,” and added, “If a site visit is really necessary, it can be fully confirmed during the government audit process after the unit has regained some stability.”

He also raised his voice, saying, “In this situation, the government and ruling party, which are responsible for national affairs, are opposing even holding a plenary meeting of the National Defense Commission,” and added, “I tell the Democratic Party firmly: Don’t make a show.”