PM says S. Korea should keep demanding N. Korea's apology over land mine blast

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SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Wednesday that South Korea should keep asking North Korea to apologize over the recent land mine blast that blew off the ankle of a South Korean military officer at the heavily armed border between the two sides.

South Korea has determined that land mines deliberately planted by North Korea on the South's side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) were the cause of the Sept. 21 blast that left three South Korean soldiers wounded, two of them seriously.

One of the two seriously wounded, a lieutenant colonel, had one of his ankles blown off in the explosion.

South Korea's military has demanded North Korea apologize, but the North has denied any involvement, with Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, accusing Seoul of fabricating the findings and warning of "merciless" retaliation if the South takes any corresponding actions.

On Wednesday, the prime minister said she believes there should be an apology from the North.

"Now that it has been clearly revealed that this is North Korea's fault and that they committed this, I think there need to be procedures to continuously demand an apology from North Korea and clearly receive one," Han said during a meeting with reporters marking her 100th day in office this week.

Han said she was very shocked to learn of the blast.

"We first took care of issues such as looking into their (injured officers') condition and how the surgery went, and separately from that, with regard to our response, this is a matter that should be taken care of by the defense ministry and the National Security Office," she said.

Han, a former CEO of online portal giant Naver before she joined the government as minister of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups last year, took office as prime minister on July 1. She took over from her predecessor Kim Min-seok, now leader of the ruling Democratic Party.

During her first 100 days, Han said she focused on three main areas, including efforts to realize the "three megaprojects" initiative that calls for a national transformation driven by semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers, and AI-driven administrative innovation.

Saving lives from industrial accidents and suicides, and swift housing supply were also her focuses, she said.

With regard to tensions between the president and the Supreme Court chief justice over the appointment of a new Supreme Court justice, Han said the rights of two sides should be more clearly defined.

"If the right of recommendation belongs to the Supreme Court chief justice, and the appointment power belongs to the president, does the president actually have the discretion to refuse an appointment when a recommendation is properly made, or is the president obligated to follow it? This is a lingering legal dilemma that nobody seems to clearly answer," Han said.

Han also said that she will try to help the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and the Prosecution Service -- two new agencies established after the abolition of prosecutors' right to investigation -- take root at an early date, while reforming the police so that the organization can regain trust from the people and take on greater investigative roles.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook speaks during a meeting with reporters marking her 100th day in office at the prime minister's residence in the central city of Sejong on Oct. 7, 2026. (Yonhap)

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PM says S. Korea should keep demanding N. Korea's apology over land mine blast

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首尔，10月7日（韩联社）——韩国总理韩成淑周三表示，韩国应该继续要求朝鲜就最近发生在朝韩边境重兵把守的地区发生的地雷爆炸事件道歉，该爆炸炸断了一名韩国军官的脚踝。

韩国方面认定，9月21日发生的爆炸事件是由朝鲜故意埋设在军事分界线韩国一侧的地雷造成的，该爆炸事件导致三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重。

两名重伤者中有一人是中校，他的脚踝在爆炸中被炸飞。

韩国军方要求朝鲜道歉，但朝鲜否认参与其中。朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正指责首尔捏造调查结果，并警告说，如果韩国采取任何相应行动，朝鲜将进行“无情”报复。

周三，首相表示，她认为北方应该道歉。

“既然已经明确表明这是朝鲜的错，是他们犯下的罪行，我认为需要制定程序，不断要求朝鲜道歉，并明确地收到道歉，”韩在本周就职百日之际与记者会面时表示。

韩女士表示，得知爆炸事件后她感到非常震惊。

“我们首先处理了诸如调查受伤警官的病情和手术情况等问题，至于我们的应对措施，这是国防部和国家安全局应该处理的事情，”她说。

韩在去年加入政府担任中小企业和创业部长之前，曾任互联网门户巨头Naver的首席执行官。7月1日，她就任韩国总理，接替了前任总理金珉锡，金珉锡目前是执政党共同民主党的党首。

韩表示，在她执政的头100天里，她重点关注了三个主要领域，包括努力实现“三大工程”计划，该计划旨在推动以半导体、物理人工智能（AI）和AI数据中心为驱动的国家转型，以及AI驱动的行政创新。

她表示，拯救因工业事故和自杀而丧生的生命，以及迅速提供住房也是她关注的重点。

针对总统与最高法院首席大法官在任命最高法院大法官问题上的紧张关系，韩表示，双方的权利应该更加明确地界定。

“如果推荐权属于最高法院首席大法官，任命权属于总统，那么当推荐意见合理提出时，总统是否真的有权拒绝任命，还是必须遵从推荐意见？这是一个长期存在的法律难题，似乎没有人能给出明确的答案。”韩说道。

韩还表示，她将努力帮助在取消检察官侦查权后成立的两个新机构——重案侦查院和检察院——早日站稳脚跟，同时改革警察制度，使该机构能够重新获得人民的信任，并承担更大的侦查作用。

2026年10月7日，韩国总理韩成淑在就职百日之际，于总理官邸会见记者。（韩联社）

（导语）朝鲜国防部长：韩国非军事区爆炸发现及排雷行动令朝鲜“慌乱不已”。

韩国外长赵镛基表示，韩国正在重新评估对朝鲜非军事区地雷爆炸事件的外交应对措施。

非军事区爆炸事件后，“基本和平”变得更加“至关重要”：统一部长

韩国总理表示，韩国应继续要求朝鲜就地雷爆炸事件道歉。