South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun pledged on October 6 to take follow-up actions regarding the recent explosion of landmines laid by North Korean troops south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the controversy surrounding the alleged breach of a secret agreement for the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war from Ukraine. He acknowledged that there was insufficient explanation to the public regarding the U.S. investment agreement.
During a National Assembly audit session of 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 have been no public disagreements. The NSC meetings are highly confidential."
The day before, the Foreign Ministry had stated that it was in the "internal review stage" regarding North Korea's illegal cyber activities, which pose a threat to the global digital economy and serve as a major funding source for its nuclear and missile programs.
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 added, "It differs somewhat from our expectations, so we intend to take firm action." He mentioned that the call for the recall of Ambassador Park Ki-chang from Ukraine is "under review."
When questioned about the lack of public explanation during the U.S. investment discussions, Cho responded, "There was a meeting between the foreign ministers of South Korea and the U.S. ahead of the summit, and just prior to that, there were discussions between U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Rutnik and South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan, so time was 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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