Lee calls for thorough probe of mine blast, vows necessary measures

President Lee Jae Myung has called for a thorough investigation into a mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers. According to The Korea Times, Lee made the remark during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. The military had announced preliminary findings that the explosion was highly likely to have been caused by illegally planted North Korean mines.

The opposition People Power Party accused the government of delaying an inspection of the site due to concerns Lee's call for sanctions relief would be undermined if North Korea was found responsible. However, Cheong Wa Dae rejected these allegations, stating that the timing of the inspection was based solely on a military judgment. A presidential official said the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.N. Command planned the inspection based on suggestions from field commanders.

Lee had previously suggested a trade-off between sanctions and a stop to North Korea's development of additional nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, Yonhap News reported. The government has vowed to take necessary measures following the investigation.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times, The Korea Times, KBS World Radio, Yonhap News — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.