Unification minister cuts short Europe trip on DMZ blast

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young abruptly ended his European trip due to a land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in North Korea, according to a government statement on Wednesday. Originally, Chung was set to visit Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Germany from Monday to October 5th to study the region's approach to conflict resolution, peace promotion, and peaceful coexistence.

However, he canceled his visits to Ireland and Germany, and returned to South Korea on the same day to address the DMZ mine incident. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) earlier suggested it was highly probable that North Korea planted the mine, which detonated on September 21st, injuring three South Korean soldiers. The U.N. Command overseeing the border area also deemed the explosion a breach of the 1950-53 Korean War Armistice Agreement.

North Korea, however, denied involvement in the attack, claiming Seoul's accusations were "groundless conspiracy."