South Korea sent a letter to the UN Security Council president Thursday calling on North Korea to take responsibility for a land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone last month and apologize, according to Seoul’s UN mission.
Cha Ji-hoon, South Korea’s ambassador to the UN, sent the roughly two-page letter to his Greek counterpart, whose country holds the council’s rotating presidency. Greece approved its circulation, and the letter is expected to be distributed to all council members shortly.
The letter reportedly condemns North Korea’s violations of the armistice agreement and demands an apology and appropriate action.
The move follows Pyongyang’s denial of responsibility for the explosion and what Seoul says are further armistice violations. Since the incident, the South Korean government has considered several diplomatic responses, including seeking a Security Council resolution or a presidential statement, as well as sending a formal letter.
Seoul took a similar step after North Korea’s 2015 wooden-box land mine attack, sending a letter from its UN ambassador to the council president two weeks after the incident.
The latest letter formally records South Korea’s position on the armistice violations. It is expected to be published as an official Security Council document and posted on the UN website.
Publication as an official document, however, does not in itself trigger a council resolution or other binding action.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com