National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Still Divided Over North Korea Landmine Resolution at Final Audit

Opposition: "The Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Should Also State Its Position"; Ruling Party: "It Doesn't Suit the Committee's Role"

The ruling and opposition parties remained divided over whether to adopt a resolution on the mine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) during the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee’s final parliamentary audit on October 27. The opposition called for the committee to “make its voice heard responsibly,” while the ruling party countered that “the committee with jurisdiction has already adopted a resolution.”

Yonhap News Agency

Rep. Kim Daesik of the People Power Party, the committee’s ranking member, said during the audit’s wrap-up session that “the Joint Chiefs of Staff have also reached the final conclusion that the explosion was caused by a mine planted by the North Korean military, and the United Nations Command determined that it violated the Armistice Agreement.” He called on the parties to “adopt a resolution promptly by mutual agreement.”

“North Korea has not only refused to apologize but has called the incident a South Korean false-flag operation. On October 26, North Korean self-propelled artillery was also positioned so close to the western front border that it could be observed from our side,” Kim said. “North Korea is denying responsibility for its provocation while continuing to escalate its military threats.”

He continued: “The National Assembly’s Defense Committee adopted a resolution condemning the incident on October 14. In that case, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, which handles the United Nations, the Armistice Agreement and sanctions against North Korea, should also make a responsible statement on behalf of the National Assembly.” He added, “The important thing is the shared principle of condemning North Korea’s provocations and preventing further threats.”

Rep. Hong Kiwon of the Democratic Party of Korea, the committee’s ranking member, said, “There is no disagreement over demanding an apology, punishment for those responsible and measures to prevent a recurrence of North Korea’s mine provocation.” However, he added, “The National Assembly has already made its position condemning the incident official through the Defense Committee’s resolution, so I question whether there is any reason to repeatedly adopt a resolution with a similar purpose.”

Hong said, “We can discuss the content of the resolution as much as necessary, and we will begin discussions today, October 27.” However, he added, “The Defense Committee, which has jurisdiction over the matter, has already adopted a resolution. Given the nature of our committee, which oversees the Ministry of National Defense, responsible for exchanges and cooperation with North Korea, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for diplomatic negotiations with other countries, it does not seem appropriate for us to adopt a resolution that is even more hard-line or confrontational.”

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