Defense Ministry to Pursue Notification to North over MDL Violations

At National Assembly Defense Committee Audit: "Call for Full Restoration"

Minister Kang: "Hundreds of North Korean Mines Planted South of the MDL"

The Ministry of National Defense plans to conduct a joint investigation with the United Nations Command (UNC) regarding North Korea's so-called "fortification of the border," which has led to violations at the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The goal is to officially document these acts as breaches of the Armistice Agreement and to notify the North Korean side accordingly.

In its National Assembly National Defense Committee audit report on October 7, the Ministry of National Defense stated, in relation to the response to the border fortification, "We will pursue coordinated action with the UNC, which is responsible for maintaining the Armistice, against North Korea's act of reducing or dismantling the buffer zones specified in the Armistice Agreement." The ministry added, "We will strongly urge the North to cease its violations of the Armistice Agreement and to fully restore the original state through official notification."

Our government considers the nullification of the buffer zones specified in the Armistice Agreement—due to North Korea’s efforts to turn the MDL into a fortified border—as itself a violation of the Armistice. Regarding the recent landmine explosion in the DMZ, the UNC has so far determined that the discovery of a single North Korean anti-personnel landmine south of the MDL during its field investigation on September 29 constitutes a violation of the Armistice.

Yonhap News Agency

In this context, the government’s policy is interpreted as an attempt to encourage closer cooperation with the UNC so that it can respond more assertively to North Korea’s incursions across the MDL as a result of border fortification. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s assessment, North Korea is not only installing minefields and obstacles such as barbed-wire fences in the area around the MDL, but is also working to strengthen its military presence in the border region with 240mm and 600mm multiple rocket launchers, self-propelled artillery, and drones.

Minister of National Defense Kang Shinchul stated, regarding the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s statement issued the previous day—which again denied that the recent DMZ explosion was caused by a North Korean landmine—that "They must have been quite taken aback by our response." Among experts, there has been commentary that, in contrast to previous statements made by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Director of the Secretariat, the latest statement was issued by a formal state agency, indicating a more controlled tone.

When Assemblyman Yoo Yongwon of the People Power Party pointed out, "It is thought that hundreds of North Korean landmines have been buried south of the MDL alone," Minister Kang replied, "We see it the same way," but also mentioned that confirmation should be made together with the UNC. He further emphasized, "In the DMZ, operational initiative is critical," and remarked, "Even after the explosion, there have been no reductions or changes; military operations in the DMZ remain ongoing, and the military is consistently working to maintain initiative there."

When Assemblyman Chun Junho of the Democratic Party of Korea asked whether claims that the government was doing nothing about North Korea amounted to fact or fiction, Minister Kang clarified, "That is completely untrue."

Regarding Assemblyman Chun’s criticism that the Ministry of National Defense under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took no special measures in response to North Korea's border fortifications, which began in April 2024, Minister Kang also appeared to concur, commenting, "I do not recall any particular actions taken."

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