Seoul seeks firm response to NK land mines while avoiding escalation
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday that South Korea will make every effort to hold North Korea accountable for planting land mines south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) while preventing the incident from escalating into broader military tensions. The issue was raised during a parliamentary audit of the foreign ministry, following the South Korean military’s conclusion that North Korean…
South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has pledged to hold North Korea accountable for the unearthing of land mines south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), while simultaneously avoiding the situation from spiraling into larger military tensions. This stance emerged following a parliamentary audit of the foreign ministry, following revelations that North Korean troops had planted mines south of the MDL in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The South Korean military confirmed on Monday that North Korean soldiers had planted the mines that detonated on September 21, resulting in serious injuries to South Korean personnel. The United Nations Command (UNC) acknowledged that the deployment of these mines contravened the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. Cho emphasized that addressing North Korea's culpability and averting unnecessary escalation of tensions were interconnected goals, stating they "go hand in hand."
He further endorsed the necessity for the two Koreas and the UNC to jointly manage the markers along the MDL, noting that Seoul has been neglecting this responsibility thus far.
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- Seoul seeks firm response to NK land mines while avoiding escalation koreatimes.co.kr
