Seoul, Sep 30 (IANS): South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday paid an unexpected visit to the soldiers injured in last week’s landmine explosion inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) and pledged to provide due compensation, a presidential spokesperson said.
Lee visited the wounded soldiers at a military hospital and offered words of comfort to them and their family members, presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-wan said.
On September 21, two mine explosions on the southern side of the DMZ, a military buffer zone between the two Koreas, left three soldiers wounded, two with serious injuries, Yonhap News Agency reported.
A joint investigation by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command (UNC) has determined the mines had been planted there by North Korean forces in what the UNC called earlier Wednesday a “violation” of the Korean armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, earlier dismissed the outcome of the South Korea-UNC investigation, accusing Seoul of “cooking up” such results with a malicious intent.
Lee told the soldiers to focus on recovering, and promised to provide full support for their treatment and rehabilitation, as well as their continued service in the military.
The president, in particular, asked officials whether due compensation is available for those wounded in action, instructing them to make sure the wounded soldiers are sufficiently compensated, stressing that it is directly related to the morale of the armed services.
He also instructed officials to review assistance measures for the wounded soldiers and inform their family members of the results.
Lee’s hospital visit took place without photos or media attendance in consideration of the young children of the wounded soldiers, the presidential spokesperson said.
The soldiers expressed their wish to continue their military service, with Kim quoting them as saying, “I want to dedicate myself to the country in any position.”
