North Korea Calls DMZ Mine Blast “Fabrication” in UN Letter
Pyongyang’s permanent representative to the UN sent the letter to the council’s president on Sunday, according to a state news agency.
The diplomatic salvo comes as tensions flare on the Korean Peninsula. Three South Korean soldiers were wounded in the Sept. 21 blast. Seoul pinned the blame on Pyongyang and urged the resumption of military talks. North Korea denied the accusations and has not answered the South Korean Defense Ministry’s offer to reopen communication.
The letter followed a similar message from Seoul to the council, which demanded an apology from the North, a South Korean newspaper reported.
In its letter, Pyongyang called the explosion a “sinister obstructive move” meant to cast its border fortifications as a military invasion. It also accused Seoul of trying to stall the construction and dodge responsibility for rising tensions.
North Korea insisted that fortifying its southern border was a “legitimate and just exercise of its sovereignty” under the UN Charter and international law, and described the work as a defensive step against external threats of aggression.
“If the RoK violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DPRK despite our warnings, the former will be held wholly accountable for all the ensuing consequences,” the letter said, issuing a stark warning to Seoul.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the North’s official name, while the Republic of Korea is the South’s.
Joint air drills begin
The diplomatic exchange coincided with the start of joint South Korea-US air drills on Monday. A South Korean news agency reported a day earlier that North Korean troops had been seen drilling with a self-propelled howitzer in coastal border areas of Hwanghae province.
South Korea’s Air Force said the drills centered on “counter-air and air interdiction missions aimed at enhancing wartime joint operations.”
The two-week Freedom Flag exercise is under way at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) southwest of Seoul.
The 1950s Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. About 39,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea under a mutual defense pact.
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