South Korea has demanded a formal apology from North Korea following landmine explosions near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers.
The explosions occurred on September 21 near the military demarcation line in the western section of the DMZ, the heavily fortified buffer zone separating the two Koreas.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Director of Operations, Kang Hyunwoo, urged North Korea to apologise and take measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Kang said the incident amounted to a violation of the 1953 Armistice Agreement and undermined existing agreements between the two countries.
South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said Seoul would consider unspecified “corresponding measures” if a full investigation confirms that North Korea was responsible for the explosions.
However, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected South Korea’s assessment, describing it as a “conspiratorial farce.” She accused Seoul of making unfounded claims to create a pretext for provoking North Korea.
Kim also criticised South Korea for broadcasting warnings and firing warning shots at North Korean soldiers involved in fortification work along the border. She insisted that North Korean troops had not crossed the military demarcation line.
She warned that North Korean border units would take retaliatory action if South Korean forces fired at their soldiers.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Command said its joint investigation with the South Korean military had identified an active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line.
The UN Command said its findings showed that a violation of the Armistice Agreement had occurred.
The United Nations Command, led by the United States, oversees the armistice that ended the Korean War and administers the southern side of the DMZ.
Tags
World News