N. Korea`s No. 2 man admitted responsibility for land mine provocation at inter-Korean contact

N. Korea`s No. 2 man admitted responsibility for land mine provocation at inter-Korean contact. August. 28, 2015 08:36. gaea@donga.com.

Hwang Byong So, director of the General Political Bureau of North Korea`s Korean People`s Army, is said to have made a remark during the latest inter-Korean high-level contact that could be interpreted as an indirect acknowledgment of the North`s responsibility for land mine explosions that wounded two South Korean troops earlier this month.

According to a senior official in the ruling camp on Thursday, Kim Kwan-jin, director of South Korea’s National Security Office, insisted during the contact that the North admit its land mine provocation and make a clear promise to prevent the recurrence of such provocation whereas Hwang continued to deny Pyongyang`s responsibility.

A senior official at Seoul`s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae was monitoring the talks through a camera installed at the venue. The official sent a message to the South Korean delegates, asking them to take Hwang to the men`s room for private talks. The intention was to let the North Korean official speak candidly at a place where there was no camera, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was also monitoring the negotiations.

"Kim and Hwang who met separately at the men`s room had an opportunity to talk a lot relatively freely," said the senior official in the ruling camp. As the private talks progressed, the official said, Hwang showed some flexibility and said, "Wouldn`t it be all right if this will not happen again?" It was the first remark by a North Korean official indicating the North`s responsibility for the land mine provocation.