On October 20, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Young-seung visited the corps command responsible for the central front to assess military readiness. He instructed, "If the enemy carries out additional provocations under the pretext of our military's legitimate actions, respond decisively."
During a meeting with operational commanders, including the commander of the Army Headquarters and the forward corps commander, Gen. Jin criticized North Korea's actions, stating, "The act of laying mines south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which seriously injured our soldiers conducting normal operations, is a clear act of provocation and a violation of the armistice agreement."
He emphasized, "It is unacceptable for North Korea to label our legitimate operational measures as provocations and to shift the responsibility for escalating military tensions onto our military in a manner akin to 'the pot calling the kettle black.'"
Gen. Jin affirmed, "Our military has consistently and firmly responded to violations of the armistice agreement, including incursions across the MDL, and we will continue to take unwavering action. We will implement operations to strengthen our control over the DMZ."
He added, "Based on our firm resolve to fulfill our mission of protecting the nation and its people, we will establish a strict command structure and operational discipline."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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