Wounded sergeant uplifted by inter-Korean accord
By Kim Hyo-jin
Staff Sergeant Ha Jae-hun, 21, injured during an explosion from the Aug. 4 landmine blast in the Demilitarized Zone, is seen in his latest Facebook post. / Yonhap
One of the two soldiers maimed by a landmine blast in the heavily fortified border earlier this month, expressed hope that there should be no further victims from inter-Korean conflicts, Wednesday.
“There should be no more victims like me, no more provocations from North Korea,” Ha Jae-hun, a staff sergeant, wrote on his Facebook, right after the high-level inter-Korean talks hammered out a deal following a 43-hour long marathon negotiation.
“I’m alright now. I’m not worried anymore.”
Ha reportedly monitored the process of the four-day long talks from a hospital ward.
He is receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital Bundang and said he hopes to serve in the military again.
“As I’m still young and healthy, I’m determined to return to my post soon.”
The landmine blast caused injuries that led to the amputation of both legs below the knee. Ha had been on a search mission in the Demilitarized Zone near Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 4.
The other staff sergeant on the mission, Kim Jung-won, had his right foot removed.
Following the two-day joint inspection with the United Nations Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) concluded on Aug. 10 that the explosion was caused by a mine in a wooden-box planted by North Korean soldiers.
In retaliation, South Korea began broadcasting propaganda through loudspeakers aimed at the north, which provoked the repressive regime to fire shells into the south of DMZ.
Amid escalating tensions, inter-Korean high-level officials started talks to end the standoff. The deal was reached after the North agreed to express “regret” for the mine blast, early Tuesday morning.
North Korea also promised to make efforts to prevent a similar incident from happening again, National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin said during a press conference that day.