Police Launch Probe into Complaint Against President Lee over 'DMZ Incident'

Nine people, including President Lee and military commanders, named in complaint
"Compulsory investigation of President Lee and search of Blue House needed"

Police have begun questioning the complainant for the first time in a case in which President Lee Jaemyung and military commanders were reported over a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the western front.

Kim Soonhwan, secretary-general of the Committee for Measures to Protect the Livelihoods of Ordinary Citizens, is arriving at Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul at around 10 a.m. on the 16th to be questioned as a complainant in connection with the explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the western front. Photo by Lee Jiye

Starting at 10 a.m. on the 16th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's 2nd Security Investigation Unit is questioning Kim Sunhwan, secretary-general of the Citizens' Committee for Measures to Protect People's Livelihoods, as a complainant at Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul.

Last month, the Citizens' Committee filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against nine people, including President Lee, National Security Office Director Wi Seong-rak, and current and former defense ministers. It accused them of abuse of authority, dereliction of duty, and general treason, alleging that military authorities had failed to respond actively to North Korean troops' alleged incursions across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the suspected laying of mines.

Speaking to reporters before the questioning, Kim Sunhwan, secretary-general of the Citizens' Committee, said, "The actions of the military leadership clearly constitute crimes of treason and general treason." He added, "We will request a compulsory investigation of President Lee during today's questioning." He also said, "The police should conduct search and seizure operations not only at the National Police Agency but also at the Ministry of National Defense to determine why this situation occurred," and argued, "The commander-in-chief has a duty to protect the country, but he has abandoned that responsibility."

He added, "For a year, reporters covering the Ministry of National Defense raised questions, but military authorities consistently feigned ignorance." He continued, "If no investigation into President Lee is conducted, we will inform the public of every detail and raise the issue during the parliamentary audit."

On the 21st of last month, two explosions believed to have been caused by mines occurred in an area near the MDL in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division, while South Korean troops were carrying out an operation to clear a search route. The incident left two people, including the search battalion commander, seriously injured and one person with minor injuries.

The Citizens' Committee claims that South Korean troops were put at risk because military authorities failed to take appropriate action despite being aware of the possibility that North Korean troops had laid mines.

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