Lee Jae Myung is the 21st president of South Korea, in office since June 2025, and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Before the presidency he was a lawyer, mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Case
Seoul's military says North Korean mines likely caused two September 21 DMZ blasts that wounded three soldiers. North Korea calls the findings groundless. The UN Command said it identified an active North Korean mine south of the line but named no side.
Role at the time: President of South Korea, speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House
Statement summary
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.”
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.
Statement dates: September 29, 2026
Statement dates: September 29, 2026
Statement dates: September 29, 2026
