(2nd LD) S. Korea to send letter to UNSC urging N. Korea to take responsibility for DMZ mine blast

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(ATTN: ADDS ministry's meeting with foreign diplomats in last 6 paras) By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to send a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) calling on North Korea to apologize 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 Sept. 21 blasts in the Demilitarized 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.

The letter will also seek to "draw attention to Pyongyang's recent attempts to characterize 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 U.N., 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.

President Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters, in this file photo from Sept. 22, 2026. (Yonhap)

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.

Maj. Gen. Yang Jin-hyuk, director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff operations planning division, attends a press conference at the defense ministry headquarters in Seoul, in this file photo from Sept. 28, 2026, to announce the interim results of a military investigation with the U.N. Command into mine explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 21 that left two South Korean soldiers severely injured and another with minor injuries. (Yonhap)

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said it held a briefing on the situation on the Korean Peninsula with diplomats from the Korea Club and the Peace Club on Thursday.

The Korea Club is a consultative body comprising 20 foreign missions in Seoul that are concurrently accredited to both South and North Korea, while the Peace Club consists of 20 Seoul-based missions of countries that maintain resident embassies in North Korea.

The meeting drew around 40 participants, including ambassadors and other diplomats from 15 countries -- Greece, New Zealand, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Slovakia, Ireland, Austria, Egypt, India, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland and Finland -- as well as representatives of the European Union.

Jeong Yeon-doo, vice foreign minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence and Seoul's chief nuclear envoy, outlined the government's efforts to promote peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas and ease tensions on the peninsula.

Jeong also briefed the diplomats on the findings of the on-site investigation into the land mine explosion, stressing the importance of inter-Korean communication to prevent similar incidents and accidental clashes.

The diplomats shared the view that dialogue and communication between the two Koreas are necessary to ease tensions and praised Seoul's efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence on the peninsula, the ministry said.

graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)

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(2nd LD) S. Korea to send letter to UNSC urging N. Korea to take responsibility for DMZ mine blast

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注：最后六段补充了该部与外国外交官的会晤）作者：吴锡敏

首尔，10月22日（韩联社）——韩国外交部周四表示，韩国计划致函联合国安理会主席，呼吁朝鲜就上个月的地雷爆炸事件道歉，并承担违反《朝鲜战争停战协定》的责任。

韩国军方认定，9月21日发生在非军事区（DMZ）的爆炸事件是由朝鲜埋设在军事分界线（MDL）以南的地雷造成的。事件造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重。

“信中将解释爆炸是由朝鲜军队违反停战协定埋设的地雷造成的，要求平壤道歉并采取负责任的行动，呼吁进行对话以防止局势进一步升级并恢复信任，”外交部发言人朴斗顺在例行记者会上表示。

朴槿惠补充说，这封信还将“引起人们对平壤近期企图将韩国军队在军事分界线沿线的合法军事活动定性为挑衅，并将日益紧张的局势的责任推卸给韩国的关注”。

他说，这封信将以韩国驻联合国大使的名义发出，预计将于周四（纽约时间）发出。

此类信件通常会在安理会主席收到后的几天内分发给安理会成员，随后发布在安理会网站上。

朝鲜否认对此事负责，并警告称，如果韩国采取相应行动，朝鲜将进行报复。

这张摄于2026年9月22日的资料照片显示，韩国总统李在明在联合国总部举行的第81届联合国大会上发表讲话。（韩联社）

一位高级官员告诉记者，政府将与担任联合国安理会轮值主席国的希腊协调，“以确保信件发出后尽快分发给安理会成员”。

本月早些时候，在国会审计期间，外交部长赵显铉表示，首尔正在审查针对矿难爆炸事件的“各种外交应对措施”，同时寻求防止不必要的局势升级。

赵承熙概述了首尔在联合国安理会可能采取的四种应对措施：向安理会主席递交信函、寻求主席发表声明表达安理会对该事件的立场、寻求安理会决议或在安理会层面不采取任何行动。

当被问及可能采取的额外措施时，该部官员表示，如果朝鲜不回应这封信，政府不排除单方面制裁的可能性。

他补充说：“首尔方面将考虑这些措施的有效性和实际益处，然后再决定采取进一步措施。”

2026年9月28日，韩国联合参谋本部作战计划处处长杨镇赫少将在首尔国防部总部出席新闻发布会，宣布韩国与联合国军司令部就9月21日非军事区内发生的地雷爆炸事件进行的军事调查的初步结果。此次爆炸事件造成两名韩国士兵重伤，另一名士兵轻伤。（韩联社）

与此同时，外交部表示，周四与韩国俱乐部和和平俱乐部的外交官举行了关于朝鲜半岛局势的简报会。

韩国俱乐部是由 20 个同时兼任韩国和朝鲜使团的驻首尔外国使团组成的咨询机构，而和平俱乐部则由 20 个在朝鲜设有常驻大使馆的国家的驻首尔使团组成。

会议吸引了约 40 名参与者，其中包括来自 15 个国家（希腊、新西兰、丹麦、德国、比利时、瑞典、斯洛伐克、爱尔兰、奥地利、埃及、印度、捷克共和国、葡萄牙、波兰和芬兰）的大使和其他外交官，以及欧盟代表。

韩国外交部负责外交战略和情报的副部长兼首尔首席核能特使郑延斗概述了韩国政府为促进朝韩和平共处和缓和朝鲜半岛紧张局势所做的努力。

郑还向外交官们简要介绍了对地雷爆炸事件的现场调查结果，强调了韩朝沟通对于防止类似事件和意外冲突的重要性。

该部表示，外交官们一致认为，朝韩之间的对话和沟通对于缓解紧张局势是必要的，并赞扬了首尔为实现朝鲜半岛和平共处所做的努力。

graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)

（导语）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。

（第二份声明）韩国警告称，朝鲜威胁向边境部署打击力量，韩国将采取“果断报复”。

（第二条）朝鲜领导人妹妹警告将采取边境反制措施，扩音器将在数日内准备就绪

（导语）朝鲜威胁在边境部署更多武器后，韩国最高军事官员下令采取强硬回应措施

（第二项议程）韩国将致函联合国安理会，敦促朝鲜对非军事区地雷爆炸事件承担责任。