Seoul's Yeongdeungpo Police Station conducts first complainant interview
Seomin Committee vows to request compulsory investigation of president
Police have launched an investigation into a complaint filed against President Lee Jae Myung in connection with a suspected landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone on the western front.
The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station summoned Kim Sun-hwan, secretary-general of the People's Livelihood Committee, on Friday morning for questioning. Kim had filed a complaint against nine individuals — including President Lee, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, former Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek and incumbent Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol — on charges of abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and general acts of benefiting the enemy.
Speaking to reporters before the interview, Kim said defense correspondents had raised related allegations over the past year, but military authorities had consistently stonewalled them, ultimately resulting in an explosion on South Korean soil that left three soldiers injured. "The investigation has now stalled," he added.
He also said parents who had sent their children — among South Korea's 450,000 active-duty troops — to the military were living with daily anxiety. "They have no choice but to worry about whether something like this could happen to their own child," he said.
Kim said the president, as commander-in-chief, has an obligation to protect the country but had abandoned that responsibility. "In today's interview, I will request a compulsory investigation of President Lee and urge search and seizure operations at Cheong Wa Dae and the Defense Ministry," he said.
The People's Livelihood Committee submitted a complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency last month, alleging that military authorities had failed to respond adequately to suspected North Korean violations of the MDL and landmine-laying activities.
On Sept. 21, two suspected landmine explosions occurred in an area near the MDL in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, within the operational zone of the Army's 25th Infantry Division, while troops were conducting a route-clearing operation. The blasts left two soldiers, including a search battalion commander, seriously injured and one with minor injuries.
newday@heraldcorp.com
