Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Calls DMZ Landmine Explosion "North Korean Provocation... Active Review"

On October 6, Kwon Oeul, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, stated regarding the recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), "It was a provocation by the North (Korea)."

Yonhap News Agency

Minister Kwon made this statement during a parliamentary inspection by the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the same day, in response to a question from Shin Dongwook, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, regarding the nature of the recent DMZ landmine explosion, saying, "I consider (the nature of this incident) to be a provocation."

However, when asked by Shin about President Lee Jaemyung referring to the incident as an 'unexpected accident,' Minister Kwon drew a line, stating, "It would not be appropriate for a minister to comment on the president's remarks."

Meanwhile, in response to a question by Son Myungsoo, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, who pointed out that about 20% of those recognized for line-of-duty deaths in the military over the past five years were excluded during the eligibility review process for patriotic compensation, Minister Kwon said, "I will do my best to ensure our conclusions are aligned through consultations with the Ministry of National Defense," adding, "The standards will be improved and future reviews will be more forward-looking."

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