Key facts
- A joint investigation confirmed a land mine explosion on Sept. 21 was caused by a mine deliberately planted by North Korean forces.
- The incident occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line, violating the Armistice Agreement.
- South Korea urged North Korea to apologize and take responsible measures.
- North Korea denied the accusation, calling it a blame-shifting tactic.
- South Korea reiterated its stance on nuclear nonproliferation.
- North Korea defended its nuclear program as a response to U.S. threats.
South Korea urged North Korea to take "responsible measures" at the United Nations on Thursday, accusing Pyongyang of violating the Armistice Agreement by deliberately planting a land mine that injured three South Korean soldiers near the inter-Korean border last month. During a committee meeting of the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Cha Ji-hoon stated that a joint investigation by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command (UNC) confirmed that a Sept. 21 explosion was caused by a land mine deliberately planted by North Korean forces south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas.
"A joint on-site investigation by ROK military and the UNC supported by forensic analysis confirmed that the explosion was caused by a landmine deliberately planted by DPRK forces south of the military demarcation line," Cha said, referring to the two Koreas by their official names, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively. Cha added that the incident constituted a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement, stating, "We urge the DPRK to cease such escalatory actions upon apology and take responsible measures."