Why did the PPP call for Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul to be dismissed?

PPP lawmakers said Kang’s remarks questioning whether South Korea could trust the U.S. military in a war with North Korea undermined the alliance. Park Choong-kwon also criticized Kang for pursuing the OPCON transfer without having spoken with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth since taking office.

Why did the PPP criticize Unification Minister Chung Dong-young over the DMZ mine blast?

The PPP objected to Chung describing land mines as defensive weapons and saying the Sept. 21 blast could not be viewed as a deliberate North Korean attack. Rep. Kim Gunn said North Korea had planted the mines knowing they could injure South Korean soldiers.

PPP slams defense minister over remarks on trusting US forces in event of war with N. Korea

Q: What did the Defense Ministry say Kang Shin-chul meant by his remarks about trusting the U.S. military?

The ministry said Kang was not questioning the U.S. military’s credibility. It said he was responding to an opposition lawmaker who argued against a hasty OPCON transfer by citing the challenges the United States faces in its conflict with Iran.

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Summary

The People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday accused Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul of undermining the South Korea-U.S. alliance with remarks about trusting U.S. forces in a war with North Korea. Kang made the remarks during a parliamentary audit Monday while responding to concerns about Seoul’s push to retake wartime operational control from Washington. The PPP urged President Lee Jae Myung to dismiss Kang. The party also criticized Unification Minister Chung Dong-young for describing land mines as defensive weapons and questioning whether a recent DMZ blast was a deliberate North Korean attack.

Key Facts

PPP chief spokesperson Park Choong-kwon said Kang had not held talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth since taking office last month.
Five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won questioned Kang’s national security views in a Facebook post, while former PPP lawmaker Yoo Seong-min also called for his dismissal.
The Defense Ministry said Kang was responding to an opposition lawmaker’s argument against a hasty OPCON transfer, which cited challenges faced by the United States in its ongoing conflict with Iran.
Chung faced criticism during a parliamentary audit Tuesday for saying land mines are defensive weapons and that the recent DMZ blasts could not be seen as a deliberate North Korean attack.
Three South Korean soldiers were injured in the Sept. 21 mine blast.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 28, 2026 1:46 pm KST

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul speaks during a cabinet meeting in Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday accused Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul of undermining the South Korea-U.S. alliance over his remarks about trusting the U.S. military in the event of a war with North Korea.

Kang came under fire during a parliamentary audit Monday when he questioned whether South Korea can "really trust the U.S. military" if a war broke out with North Korea, while responding to an opposition lawmaker's concerns over Seoul's push to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington.

"The defense minister's remarks are undermining the trust in the 73-year-old alliance," PPP chief spokesperson Park Choong-kwon said in a commentary.

Rep. Park criticized Kang for pushing ahead with the OPCON transfer despite not having held any talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth since taking office last month.

He urged President Lee Jae Myung to immediately dismiss Kang, saying he is no longer qualified to serve as defense minister.

Other lawmakers also denounced Kang's remarks, questioning his views on national security.

"Is it not because the defense minister is like this that North Korea is openly planting land mines and aiming its weapons at us?" five-term Rep. Na Kyung-won wrote on Facebook.

Former PPP lawmaker Yoo Seong-min called for Kang's dismissal, emphasizing that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is central to protecting the lives and safety of South Koreans.

The defense ministry earlier said Kang was not questioning the ally's credibility but was responding to an opposition lawmaker who argued against a hasty transfer of OPCON, citing the challenges even a military superpower like the United States faces in its ongoing conflict with Iran.

The PPP also took issue with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's description of land mines as defensive weapons.

Chung faced criticism from opposition lawmakers during a parliamentary audit Tuesday for saying that land mines are defensive weapons and that the recent mine blasts in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) cannot be seen as a deliberate attack by North Korea.

"I do not know what to make of a unification minister who defends North Korea by suggesting that the North may have naively mistaken the territory as its own and failed to realize that our soldiers could have been injured," PPP Rep. Kim Gunn wrote on Facebook.

Rep. Kim, a former diplomat, stressed that the mines were deliberately planted by the North despite knowing they could injure South Korean soldiers. Three South Korean soldiers were injured in the Sept. 21 mine blast.

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