Jeong Dongyoung Denies Intent in 'North-Planted Mine' Incident, Citing MDL as Core Cause

Jeong Dong-young, Minister of Unification, stated on October 2 regarding the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) landmine explosion, "The core cause of this accident ultimately lies in the issue of the armistice line and the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)." Despite the military authorities' announcement backing the assumption that the explosion was due to mines newly planted as part of North Korea’s fortification efforts along the border, he emphasized its "unintentional nature."

Regarding the incident of a landmine explosion planted by North Korea in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Jeong Dong-young, the Minister of Unification, shortened his business trip in Europe and returned home. On October 2, 2026, he was answering reporters' questions while going to work at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jeong, Yonhap News Agency.

In the wake of the DMZ landmine explosion, Minister Jeong Dong-young, who canceled his business trip to Europe and returned to Korea the previous day, met reporters on his way to work this morning. He said, "As the Minister of Unification, I make a proposal to North Korea," and continued, "The two Koreas need to begin discussions to reverify and finalize the MDL." He added, "Of the 1,292 boundary posts installed 73 years ago, only about 80 remain after such a long period. The lines measured by South Korea, North Korea, and the United Nations (UN) Command all differ. If this issue is not resolved, similar accidents could happen again at any time."

Regarding some voices suggesting that, as was the case after the 2015 "wooden box mine incident," South Korea should resume loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, Minister Jeong dismissed the idea as "irresponsible and extremely dangerous." He is thought to have expressed similar views at the National Security Council (NSC) meeting held at the Blue House the previous afternoon. However, when asked whether he would demand an apology from North Korea, he replied, "Of course."

The military authorities are expected to announce the final results of their investigation into the DMZ landmine explosion soon. Concerning the government’s response measures, another senior government official stated, "Refer to 2015," explaining, "There was a similar landmine incident then, and this time, we are carefully reviewing all potential actions that we can take." At that time, under the Park Geun-hye administration, South Korea immediately resumed loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea and sent a letter to the President of the UN Security Council, which led to North Korea expressing its regret.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.