Rep. Kim Byung-ju: "North Korea's mine-laying is a clear violation of the armistice agreement"

Kim Byung-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea, secretary of the National Defense Committee (the lawmaker in charge of the committee's practical affairs), briefed fellow lawmakers at the National Assembly's general meeting of members on the 29th about the landmine explosion near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), an area kept mine-free to prevent North and South Korean forces from facing each other directly. "North Korea has clearly violated the armistice agreement, and this should be seen as a provocation," he said. "A soldier was killed by a North Korean landmine in our territory south of the Military Demarcation Line," he added. Kim pointed out that North Korea began scattering mines as it worked to harden the Military Demarcation Line into a border following Kim Jong-un's declaration of the hostile "two hostile states" policy in December 2023, and that mine-laying had been carried out across all areas starting in April 2024, under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. "In fact, the Yoon administration was letting things slide at that time," Kim argued. "If bold action had been taken, I believe this unfortunate incident would not have happened today."

In a third on-site investigation, the military and the United Nations Command discovered one plastic toe-popper anti-personnel landmine. Grass roots were entangled on top of the mine, which the military said indicated it had been there for at least a year or more.

Rep. Kim of the Democratic Party criticized opposition claims — including from independent Rep. Han Duck-soo — of a delayed investigation and evidence tampering as "conspiracy theories" and "fake news." He said he only conducted an advance site visit on the 26th and determined that an on-site investigation was possible on the 27th, rejecting the claim: "It is not true at all that the date was moved up from the 29th to the 27th at the People Power Party's request."

The Democratic Party has proposed issuing a resolution condemning North Korea through the Defense Committee. Kim said that since North Korea's border-hardening has been underway since the Yoon Suk-yeol government, a strong response is warranted.