NSC Standing Committee Discusses Response to North Korean Landmines and Loudspeaker Broadcasts

The government held a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Security Council (NSC, the top policy consultation body on national security) on the 22nd to discuss countermeasures against North Korea amid heightened inter-Korean tensions following the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ, an area between North and South Korea where troops and weapons cannot be stationed).

While the Office of National Security under the presidential office and diplomatic and security ministries hold regular standing committee meetings every week, this meeting drew heightened attention as Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party of Korea, has issued statements day after day, emphasized the justification for the 'fortification of the border line,' and even hinted at the possible resumption of anti-South loudspeaker broadcasts.

On the 22nd (local time), South Korean Ambassador to the UN Cho Ji-hoon sent a letter to the Greek Ambassador to the UN, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, stating that the explosion of North Korean landmines in the DMZ constitutes a violation of the Armistice Agreement, and demanding an apology and responsible measures from North Korea while urging dialogue. The Security Council presidency approved circulation of the letter among its members.