Ruling and Opposition Clash Over DMZ Landmine Blast… PPP Demands Release of Accident Cause

As three military officers were seriously injured in an explosion believed to be from a landmine during a pioneering-route operation inside the western-front DMZ on the 21st, the People Power Party on the 26th demanded that President Lee Jae-myung disclose the cause of the accident, sparking a war of words between the ruling and opposition parties.

Jung Jeong-sik, the PPP's floor leader, wrote on Facebook on the 26th, "President Lee Jae-myung once said he would make sure the words 'When we call them, they are sons of the nation; when they get hurt, they are your sons; when they die, who are they?' are never heard again." He added, "The Defense Ministry and the military are treating the servicemen whose legs were severed in the DMZ landmine accident as 'somebody else's sons.'" Floor leader Jung urged the president to quickly and clearly announce, based on the fundamental questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how, who was responsible for the landmine blast.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk characterized the accident as a provocation by North Korea using wooden-box landmines and called the president's silence a case of "zipping his lips." Leader Jang said that if the investigation is being deliberately delayed, it would constitute treason, floating the possibility of impeachment and arrest.

President Lee Jae-myung said on social media the day of the accident that he wished the injured servicemen a speedy recovery and pledged the government's full support.