President Lee urges the military to work closely with the UN Command on the investigation and says measures will follow "what the investigation finds"
Lee Jae MyungPresident of South Korea, speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House
At a Cabinet meeting on September 29, 2026, the day after the Joint Chiefs' preliminary findings, President Lee Jae Myung told the military to work closely with the UN Command on a swift and thorough investigation and to establish transparently what happened. He said the government would take necessary measures based on what the investigation finds. He also warned against fueling conspiracy theories over the incident, and JoongAng reported that he dismissed allegations that the military had held back the announcement because of his UN General Assembly speech.
“We will take the necessary measures based on what the investigation finds.”
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Where this statement fits
Did North Korea plant the antipersonnel mines that injured three South Korean soldiers in the DMZ on September 21, 2026?
On September 21, 2026, two explosions in the western Demilitarized Zone wounded three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously, as they cleared a route for a planned UN Command inspection. South Korea's military places the blasts about 10 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on September 28 that North Korean mines were highly likely the cause, and on September 30 it demanded an apology from North Korea. Also on September 30, the UN Command said its joint investigation with South Korea's military identified an active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the MDL and determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred. The command did not say which side committed the violation. Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official, rejected the South Korean findings as groundless and said North Korean soldiers have never crossed the border. The joint investigation had not issued final results as of September 30, 2026. The disputed claim is whether North Korean forces planted the mines that exploded.
Source and context
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About this source
Korea JoongAng Daily report of September 29, 2026 on President Lee Jae Myung's Cabinet meeting remarks about the DMZ blast. The English quotations are the newspaper's rendering of Lee's Korean remarks.
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About this source
Korea Herald report of September 29, 2026 on the National Defense Committee session: the mine found that day, Kang Shin-chul's comments on when it may have been laid, and opposition questions about the timing of the investigation. It also reports President Lee Jae Myung's Cabinet remarks that day.
Before the quotation
The Joint Chiefs had said the previous evening that North Korean mines were highly likely the cause. Opposition lawmakers had criticized the pace of the on-site investigation, and the presidential office said the timing was set by the Joint Chiefs and the UN Command on military grounds. In JoongAng's rendering, Lee also said the military should "work closely with the United Nations Command to conduct a swift and thorough investigation and transparently establish what happened." The English wording is the newspaper's rendering of Lee's Korean remarks.
After the quotation
JoongAng reported that Lee did not issue a separate message to North Korea at the meeting.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether North Korean forces planted the mines. The president neither adopted the Joint Chiefs' preliminary attribution nor rejected it. He directed the military to establish what happened with the UN Command and made the government's measures depend on what the investigation finds. Because the position rests on an express, unresolved condition, we labeled it Mixed or conditional.
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More from this case
Read the full caseDemocratic Party leader Kim Min-seok says the DMZ explosion "has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines" south of the MDL
“The DMZ explosion has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line.”Read statement
Kim Yo Jong says North Korean soldiers "have never crossed the border" and that the crossing claim is meant to shift responsibility
“The "crossing the border" of our soldiers touted by the ROK military is a deliberate and planned strained assertion to shift the responsibility for escalating tension on to the DPRK. Clearly speaking, our soldiers have never crossed the border. This is a clear cavil and a provocation. The ROK military should think first of all about what the world will say about its inability to distinguish its own land and other's land, failing to properly distinguish the boundary which can be confirmed by the naked eye.”Read statement
Kim Yo Jong says the mine incident is "a clear farce" and South Korea is "cooking up the groundless results"
“In conclusion, the incident is a clear farce reminiscent of the "wooden-box mine incident" which disturbed the world more than ten years ago, in consideration of the time and method of provocation. At that time the puppet forces forcibly linked the "mine explosion incident" that occurred on the western border with the DPRK and continuously escalated the tension under the pretext of it. What should not be overlooked is the fact that the armed gangsters of the ROK are now cooking up the groundless results and "justifying their conduct" for political and military provocation against the DPRK, openly talking about "reasonable and corresponding enforcement of measures". How can we sit and watch their despicable act of rashly doubting anyone after exploding a mine of doubtful provenance and talking about the breach of the Armistice Agreement.”Read statement