[Edaily Reporter Hwang Byeong Seo ] On the 29th, President Lee Jae-myung ordered military authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). President Lee emphasized that necessary measures must be taken based on the investigation’s findings, while urging restraint regarding allegations raised by political circles surrounding the incident, calling them “baseless conspiracy theories.”

At the Cabinet meeting held that day, President Lee stated, “Military authorities must transparently uncover the truth of the incident through a swift and thorough investigation based on close cooperation with the United Nations Command,” adding, “And they must take the necessary measures based on those findings.” President Lee noted, “Three soldiers sustained serious injuries in a landmine accident near the Military Demarcation Line last week,” adding, “I offer my deepest condolences to the injured soldiers and their families and wish them a speedy recovery.” He continued, “There can be no division between the ruling and opposition parties when it comes to national security,” and added, “In particular, I hope there will be no attempts to endanger national security by fueling baseless conspiracy theories regarding this incident.”

While President Lee personally ordered a thorough investigation into the landmine incident, the Blue House drew a clear line regarding suspicions from some quarters that the on-site investigation was linked to the President’s UN speech. A Blue House official said that day, “The military’s on-site investigation into this landmine incident is completely unrelated to the President’s UN speech,” adding, “The military’s on-site investigation was planned and decided upon based purely on military judgment, with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the UN Command taking into account the recommendations of field commanders.”

This stance by the Blue House appears to be in response to suspicions raised by the opposition and others that the delay in the on-site investigation was linked to President Lee’s UN speech. Baek Jun-young, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook, “It has been five days since the accident in which a soldier’s ankle was severed by a landmine. This is a truly tragic incident. However, no on-site forensic examination has been conducted,” adding, “It has rained since the accident on September 21, and because the site is a waterside area, there is growing concern that key evidence may be lost or damaged.” He continued, “Could this be related to President Lee’s UN speech on the 23rd? He is advocating for the easing of sanctions against North Korea at the UN—could it be that he feared his speech would lose credibility if North Korea were identified as the culprit behind the landmine incident?”

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced preliminary investigation findings regarding the landmine explosion that occurred in the DMZ on the 28th, stating, “It is highly likely that the landmine was planted by North Korean forces.” According to the Joint Chiefs’ announcement, while securing a safe retreat route following the explosion, an engineer conducting a landmine sweep identified an object believed to be a landmine similar in form to a North Korean wooden-box landmine.