Ruling, opposition parties clash over DMZ mine blast probe

Negotiators from the ruling and opposition parties on the National Assembly's Defense Committee clashed Saturday over how to investigate a suspected landmine explosion inside the demilitarized zone — with one side pushing for an on-site visit and the other demanding a full committee hearing.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo, who leads his party's side on the committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said committee members had agreed to visit the unit at the accident site Monday.

"Hearing directly from field commanders and soldiers is far more substantive verification than sitting in a conference room going over reports," Kim said. He then criticized the People Power Party, saying it had been calling daily for a full committee session while refusing to join the site visit. "Demanding the truth while avoiding the very place where the truth lies is no different from admitting that what you really want is not the truth but a stage for political theater," he said.

Kim urged the PPP to join the effort, saying the Democratic Party would see the investigation through to the end — from the site visit to a joint field probe and the results of a National Forensic Service examination.

In response, PPP lawmaker Lim Jong-deuk, who leads his party's side on the committee, held a joint press conference with fellow PPP defense committee members and criticized the Democratic Party. "If you are so concerned about the safety of the troops, why would politicians swarm a unit that needs to restore order right after an accident and pile on yet another burden?" he said.

Lim added that lawmakers visiting the unit would not be able to enter the accident scene itself. "If a site visit is truly necessary, it can be done thoroughly during the national audit process, once the unit has regained some stability," he said.

"In this situation, the government and the ruling party, which bear responsibility for state affairs, are even opposing the convening of a full Defense Committee session," Lim said. "I say this plainly to the Democratic Party: stop putting on a show."