By Jun Ji-hye
North Korea denied involvement with the recent land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), demanding the South provide solid evidence, Friday. In response, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) warned that it will make the reclusive regime pay “a harsh price.”
The North’s National Defense Commission said in a statement that it makes no sense for it to plant three mines in the first place.
“If our military really needed to achieve a military purpose, we might have used more powerful weapons, not three landmines,” the statement said. “We demand South Korea provide video evidence. If there is no video, the South should never mention the North’s provocation.”
The statement came four days after Seoul officially announced the results of its investigation, which accused North Korean soldiers of crossing the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and burying the mines. The mines exploded in the South-controlled area of the DMZ on Aug. 4, maiming two South Korean soldiers.
Pyongyang said it has not responded to the accusation as the blast took place in the South, and such explosions have frequently occurred in the DMZ for various reasons.
“We can no longer maintain silence as the South’s military, Cheong Wa Dae as well as the United Nations Command blamed us,” it said.
The JCS immediately refuted the statement, repeatedly stressing that it was a clear provocation.
The JCS sent a verbal notice through a cross-border telephone channel, which reaffirmed that the North will suffer consequences for their actions, it said.
As the first step in retaliation against the repressive state, the Ministry of National Defense has resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasting in border areas from Monday, after not having done so for 11 years.
It is part of a psychological warfare program, delivering outside news to be heard by North Korean soldiers and border residents.
Pyongyang also expressed discontent against the move through its latest statement, adding that South Korea is blaming Pyongyang simply to justify such actions, the JCS said.
On the morning of Aug. 4, three North Korean-made wooden box antipersonnel landmines exploded inside the DMZ near Paju, Gyeonggi Province, when eight South Korean 1st Infantry Division soldiers were on routine patrol. A staff sergeant indentified only by his surname Ha lost both legs from below the knee, while another staff sergeant surnamed Kim had his right foot amputated below the ankle.
The U.S.-led United Nations Command also blamed the isolationist state for the explosion, saying the provocation is a violation of the Armistice Agreement signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The UNC called for general-led dialog with the North Korean People's Army over the matter.
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