South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin denied allegations that the investigation into a mine explosion incident south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) was influenced by North Korea. He also refuted claims of a heated exchange with Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-young following his proposal for sanctions against North Korea.
During a National Assembly audit session of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Park stated, "We are taking this matter very seriously." He emphasized the importance of establishing a unified government stance, adding, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing various approaches, and we will formulate the government's position through discussions at the National Security Council (NSC)."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that reports suggesting it proposed independent sanctions against North Korea in response to the DMZ explosion incident during the NSC's standing committee meeting on October 1 were premature, stating, "No definitive decisions have been made as we are still in the internal review stage." The ministry noted that North Korea's illegal cyber activities pose a significant threat to the global digital economy and are a major source of funding for its nuclear and missile programs.
Park also addressed allegations of a public disagreement with Jeong regarding sanctions on North Korea's cyber activities, stating, "There have been no public disagreements. The NSC meetings are conducted with the highest level of security."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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