Seoul, Oct 22 (IANS) South Korea plans to send a letter to the President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) calling on North Korea to apologise for last month’s land mine blast and take responsibility for its violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
The South Korean military concluded the September 21 blasts in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) were caused by North Korean mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The incidents injured three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously.
“The letter will explain that the blast was caused by land mines planted by North Korean troops in violation of the Armistice Agreement, demand an apology and responsible action from Pyongyang, and call for dialogue to prevent further escalation and restore trust,” ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said during a regular press briefing, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The letter will also seek to “draw attention to Pyongyang’s recent attempts to characterise South Korean troops’ legitimate military activities along the MDL as provocations and shift responsibility for rising tensions onto South Korea,” Park added.
The letter, to be sent under the name of South Korea’s Ambassador to the UN. is expected to be sent Thursday (New York time), he said.
Such letters are typically circulated to Security Council members within several days of being received by the council president and subsequently posted on the UNSC website.
North Korea has denied responsibility for the incident and warned of retaliation if South Korea takes corresponding action.
The government will coordinate with Greece, which holds the rotating presidency of the UNSC, “to ensure the letter is circulated to council members as soon as possible after it is sent,” a senior ministry official told reporters.
During a parliamentary audit earlier this month, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Seoul was reviewing “various diplomatic responses” to the mine blast while seeking to prevent unnecessary escalation.
Cho outlined four possible options for Seoul’s response at the UNSC: sending a letter to the council president, seeking a presidential statement expressing the council’s position on the incident, pursuing a UNSC resolution or taking no action at the council level.
When asked about possible additional measures, the ministry official said the government has not ruled out unilateral sanctions if North Korea does not respond to the letter.
“Seoul will consider their effectiveness and practical benefits before deciding on further steps,” he added.
–IANS
ksk/as
