South Korean Embassy denies ambassador challenged Lee’s description of North Korean land mine blast

The South Korean Embassy in Washington clarified that Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha's remarks during a parliamentary audit on a North Korean land mine explosion in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) were not intended to contradict President Lee Jae Myung's description of the incident as an "unfortunate accident."

“[Kang's remarks were] in no way intended to question whether a particular expression previously used by the South Korean government was appropriate,” the embassy said in a statement released Tuesday.

President Lee described the North Korean land mine explosion as an "unfortunate accident" in his Armed Forces Day speech on Oct. 1, while offering words of comfort to the injured soldiers and their families.

On Sept. 21, a land mine explosion occurred in the DMZ area, which left three South Korean soldiers injured.

However, Kang appeared to contradict Lee's characterization of the incident during a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Monday.

"Based on the findings announced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff [JCS], the land mines were planted by North Korea, and in such cases, they were planted intentionally,” Kang said. “In that sense, I do not consider it an unfortunate accident."

The embassy explained that Kang had sought to emphasize that North Korean troops' deliberate placement of land mines south of the military demarcation line (MDL) constituted a violation of the 1950-53 Korean War Armistice Agreement, based on the JCS’ final investigation findings released on Oct. 5.

The embassy added that Lee's choice of words was intended to comfort the injured soldiers and their families and noted that Kang, too, “finds it deeply heartbreaking as a member of the South Korean public and as ambassador” over the injuries suffered by South Korean troops.

The embassy also addressed concerns over intelligence cooperation between South Korea and the United States.

During the parliamentary audit, Kang said that there was talk of problems with intelligence cooperation at a meeting between the South Korean and U.S. foreign ministers on Sept. 18. She added that the issues had not been resolved to the extent Washington had hoped.

“It is difficult to confirm the details of diplomatic communications between South Korea and the United States or the specifics of bilateral intelligence cooperation," the embassy said, adding that countries must work to narrow and manage differences.

The Embassy also clarified Kang’s remarks about limited access to senior White House officials.

"She meant that communication had not taken place as frequently as she would have liked and that she hoped for closer and more frequent consultations," the embassy said. "Her remarks were in no way intended to suggest that there were difficulties in existing communication between South Korea and the United States."

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]