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President Lee Jae-myung inspects the Hyunmoo-5 missile on the 8th. / Courtesy of the Presidential Office

President Lee Jae-myung continues to maintain a stance of "stable peaceful coexistence" even in the wake of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) landmine explosion, putting weight on the restoration of inter-Korean dialogue. It represents a "two-track blueprint" designed to respond in accordance with principles against North Korean armistice violations, while simultaneously restoring communication channels to prevent accidental clashes along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).

According to government officials on the 11th, the military determined that the DMZ landmine explosion on the western front on the 21st of last month was caused by mines laid south of the MDL by North Korean forces, and is undertaking phased corresponding measures. Following operations on the 5th that cleared North Korean minefields south of the MDL, the military plans to continue clearance operations in additional mined areas.

Measures demonstrating deterrence against the North are being conducted in parallel. On the 8th, President Lee personally observed the first test launch of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle and inspected the high-power Hyunmoo-5 missile.

The government maintains that while holding the North accountable, dialogue is also essential to reduce the risk of armed conflict in border areas. The Ministry of National Defense is pursuing plans to align mutual recognition of MDL reference markers and restore inter-Korean military hotlines through bilateral military talks. This stems from assessments that the disappearance of numerous MDL markers has complicated demarcation line management in several sectors.

In his earlier Armed Forces Day address, President Lee also stressed, "We will consistently pursue practical measures to ease military tensions between the South and North," calling for the restoration of trust and severed dialogue channels. This reaffirmed the administration's policy of pursuing both military responses and dialogue in parallel.

A military and security expert commented, "Given that the Defense Minister foreshadowed corresponding actions, what matters is how the government resolves issues surrounding mines and barbed-wire fences installed south of the MDL, beyond simple landmine clearance." The expert added, "While the public unveiling of the Hyunmoo-5 and hypersonic missile holds deterrent significance, it remains separate from directly resolving issues on the ground in the DMZ. Preventative measures such as MDL management and restoring military communication lines must follow."

                                                                                                        Park Young-hoon