President Lee visits DMZ mine victims

President Lee Jae-myung visited three soldiers injured in a North Korean-planted mine explosion on the southern DMZ on September 21. The visit to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam showed the government's response to the armistice violation and its commitment to the wounded personnel.

Lee spoke with the injured soldiers in their hospital rooms and urged them to focus on recovery. He was accompanied by Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, and Deputy National Security Adviser Kang Gun-jak. The visit was conducted quietly, with no photographs or media filming, after the presidential office considered families' concerns that published images could cause emotional distress to the soldiers' young children.

Incident attributed to North Korea, condemned as armistice violation

On Sept. 21, two mine explosions on the southern side of the DMZ injured three soldiers, two of them seriously. A joint investigation by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command determined the mines were planted by North Korean forces. The United Nations Command described the incident as a violation of the Korean armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The explosions occurred during a route-clearing operation south of the Military Demarcation Line in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff condemned North Korea’s border fortifications as a violation of the armistice agreement and demanded an apology and appropriate measures. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the assessment as groundless. She warned of consequences if Seoul takes retaliatory measures based on Pyongyang’s responsibility.

Soldiers express resolve to return to service, families raise concerns

The wounded soldiers expressed a strong desire to continue their military service after recovering. They stated the operations team had acted as one body, and that is how they survived. One sentiment shared was, "I want to dedicate myself to the country in any position."

Their families, however, reported struggling with agitation and conspiracy theories targeting the wounded soldiers. According to presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-wan, the soldiers’ relatives complained that the injured personnel were being used to fuel disputes. They asked the president to set the record straight. Lee stressed that if the wounded are not given the recognition they deserve, it directly affects military morale.

Lee orders review of compensation and support measures

President Lee instructed officials to verify whether due compensation is available for the wounded troops and to ensure they are sufficiently compensated. He ordered a review of assistance measures for the soldiers and for the results to be communicated to their family members. Lee asked officials to ensure full compensation, treatment, rehabilitation and continued military service for the wounded. He said neither the soldiers nor their families should have to worry.

Kim Sung-wan said, "Lee visited the wounded soldiers at a military hospital and offered words of comfort to them and their family members." No specific compensation amount or timeline was disclosed. Officials are to review assistance measures and inform families of the results.