SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- The rival parties clashed Tuesday over the adoption of a parliamentary resolution condemning North Korea over recent land mine explosions near the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers.
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) called on the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to swiftly adopt the resolution, while the PPP called for further discussions to change details of the resolution, including explicitly describing the blasts as an act of provocation by the North.
"Our government's position on North Korea's provocation is too ambiguous, calling it an accident or an unfortunate incident," PPP Rep. Lim Jong-deuk said during a plenary session of the National Assembly's defense committee.
The PPP and DP each submitted a resolution over the land mine explosions on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, respectively, with the committee seeking to draw up a final version for adoption.
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul (R) attends a parliamentary audit session on his ministry at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul on Oct. 7, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
"Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has even said it cannot be conclusively determined whether the incident was a deliberate mine attack by North Korea," he added.
Rep. Lim also criticized the DP for pushing to adopt a resolution without sufficient discussions with the opposition party.
Another PPP lawmaker, Yoo Yeong-ha, insisted that the resolution should clearly characterize the blasts as a North Korean provocation.
"Why can't we use the term 'provocation' even when leader (Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party) has acknowledged it as a provocation?" he said. "There must be a clear reason and purpose for us to condemn (the North)."
DP lawmakers earlier emphasized that their draft resolution already includes calls for a strong government response.
Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the DP, who chairs the defense committee, called for a subcommittee meeting to be held later in the day to narrow differences and draw up a resolution to be referred to a plenary session.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said last week that its joint investigation with the U.N. Command has determined mines planted deliberately by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) caused the explosions on Sept. 21, injuring three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously.
North Korea has denied responsibility and accused Seoul of fabricating the findings.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
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