S. Korea urges N. Korea to take 'responsible measures' over mine explosion incident at U.N.

By Chang Dong-woo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea urged North Korea to take "responsible measures" Thursday at the United Nations, accusing Pyongyang of violating the Armistice Agreement by deliberately planting a land mine that injured three South Korean soldiers near the inter-Korean border last month.

During a committee meeting of the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Cha Ji-hoon said a joint investigation by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command (UNC) confirmed that a Sept. 21 explosion was caused by a land mine deliberately planted by North Korean forces south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas.

"A joint on-site investigation by ROK military and the UNC supported by forensic analysis confirmed that the explosion was caused by a landmine deliberately planted by DPRK forces south of the military demarcation line," Cha said, referring to the two Koreas by their official names, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.

Cha said the incident constituted a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement, adding, "We urge the DPRK to cease such escalatory actions upon apology and take responsible measures."

The North Korean representative, however, rejected Seoul's accusation, describing it as an attempt to portray Pyongyang's efforts to fortify its southern border as a military incursion.

"This is no more than poor trick of the ROK military to shift the blame of its own onto the DPRK," the representative said.

The Koreas also reiterated their opposing positions on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

Cha reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and called on North Korea to return to full compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The North Korean representative defended Pyongyang's nuclear weapons as an inevitable choice to protect its sovereignty against what it described as the "decadeslong U.S. nuclear threat."