Why are South Korea’s rival parties divided over the resolution condemning North Korea for the DMZ mine explosions?

The People Power Party wants the resolution to explicitly call the explosions a North Korean provocation, while the Democratic Party of Korea says its draft already demands a strong government response. The PPP also objects to adopting the measure without further discussions between the parties.

What did South Korea’s joint investigation determine about the Sept. 21 DMZ mine explosions?

The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.N. Command determined that mines deliberately planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the explosions. Three South Korean soldiers were injured, including two who suffered serious injuries.

What happens next with South Korea’s parliamentary resolution on the DMZ mine blast?

A defense committee subcommittee was expected to meet later Tuesday to narrow differences between the DPK and PPP and prepare a final resolution. The measure would then be referred to a plenary session for adoption.

Rival parties spar over adoption of resolution condemning N. Korea for DMZ mine blast

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Summary

Rival parties clashed Tuesday in South Korea’s National Assembly over adopting a resolution condemning North Korea for land mine explosions near the inter-Korean border. The Democratic Party of Korea urged swift adoption, while the People Power Party sought changes explicitly describing the blasts as a North Korean provocation. The explosions on Sept. 21 injured three South Korean soldiers, two seriously. North Korea denied responsibility and called Seoul’s findings fabricated.

Key Facts

The DPK and PPP separately submitted resolutions on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, respectively, and the defense committee sought to combine them into a final version.
PPP lawmakers Lim Jong-deuk and Yoo Yeong-ha argued that the resolution should explicitly characterize the explosions as a North Korean provocation.
DPK defense committee chair Jin Sung-joon proposed a subcommittee meeting to narrow differences before referring the resolution to a plenary session.
A joint investigation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.N. Command determined that mines deliberately planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the explosions.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 13, 2026 3:54 pm KST

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, right, attends a parliamentary audit session on his ministry at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

The rival parties clashed Tuesday over the adoption of a parliamentary resolution condemning North Korea over recent land mine explosions near the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) called on the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to swiftly adopt the resolution, while the PPP called for further discussions to change details of the resolution, including explicitly describing the blasts as an act of provocation by the North.

"Our government's position on North Korea's provocation is too ambiguous, calling it an accident or an unfortunate incident," PPP Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said during a plenary session of the National Assembly's defense committee.

The PPP and DPK each submitted a resolution over the land mine explosions on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, respectively, with the committee seeking to draw up a final version for adoption.

"Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has even said it cannot be conclusively determined whether the incident was a deliberate mine attack by North Korea," he added.

Rep. Lim also criticized the DPK for pushing to adopt a resolution without sufficient discussions with the opposition party.

Another PPP lawmaker, Yoo Yeong-ha, insisted that the resolution should clearly characterize the blasts as a North Korean provocation.

"Why can't we use the term 'provocation' even when leader (Kim Min-seok of the DPK) has acknowledged it as a provocation?" he said. "There must be a clear reason and purpose for us to condemn (the North)."

DPK lawmakers earlier emphasized that their draft resolution already includes calls for a strong government response.

Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the DPK, who chairs the defense committee, called for a subcommittee meeting to be held later in the day to narrow differences and draw up a resolution to be referred to a plenary session.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said last week that its joint investigation with the U.N. Command has determined mines planted deliberately by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) caused the explosions on Sept. 21, injuring three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously.

North Korea has denied responsibility and accused Seoul of fabricating the findings.

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