South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun promised on October 6 to take follow-up actions regarding recent controversies, including the explosion of landmines planted by North Korean troops south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the alleged breach of a secret agreement on the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war from Ukraine. He acknowledged that there was insufficient explanation to the public during the U.S. investment agreement.
During a National Assembly audit held by the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Cho stated, "The allegations of 'watching North Korea' that arose during the investigation into the MDL landmine explosion are not true." He emphasized, "We will create a unified government stance through the National Security Council (NSC)."
Regarding reports of a clash with Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young during the NSC meeting on October 1, where Cho proposed independent sanctions against North Korea in response to its illegal cyber activities, he clarified, "There has never been a public disagreement. The NSC meetings are highly confidential."
The day before, the Foreign Ministry stated that it was in the "internal review stage" regarding the reports, asserting that North Korea's illegal cyber activities are a major source of funding for its nuclear and missile programs and pose a threat to the global digital economy, regardless of nationality.
Cho also explained that the issue of repatriating North Korean prisoners of war was initially requested by Ukraine, stating, "We will consistently pursue a principled response." He noted that he received a message from Ukraine's foreign minister regarding an apology but expressed that it did not meet their expectations, indicating a desire for decisive action. He mentioned that the call for the recall of Ambassador Park Hee-chang to Ukraine is "under review."
In response to criticisms about the lack of public explanation during the U.S. investment discussions, Cho stated, "There was a meeting between the foreign ministers of South Korea and the U.S. ahead of the summit, and just prior, there were discussions between U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Rutnik and South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan, which made the timeline tight." He added that there were parts of the agreement that were not finalized at the time, and the U.S. had expressed a desire to make a separate announcement regarding the investment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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