(3rd LD) S Korea-security adviser

(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks in paras 19-21; REPLACES 1st photo)

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will continue taking necessary measures based on clear principles in response to the recent mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the country's top security adviser said Friday, reiterating the government's focus on establishing peace that eliminates the need for fighting.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac made the remarks at a press briefing following the detonation of North Korean land mines inside the DMZ in September that wounded three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously.

"Our government will continue taking necessary measures in response to the DMZ mine blast incident based on clear principles," Wi said.

"The government will focus its resources on creating peace that makes fighting unnecessary by consistently pursuing its policy of peaceful coexistence," he added.

The security adviser said that, since the incident, Seoul has demanded an apology from North Korea, removed mines at the accident site and ensured the military's readiness by test-firing a hypersonic missile.

Seoul has also proposed military talks with the North on several occasions to clear up uncertainties over the Military Demarcation Line, he noted.

The remarks come as North Korea continues to deny responsibility for the mine blast and instead accuses Seoul of escalating tensions by firing warning shots at its troops across the border.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has threatened to deploy tactical strike assets along the inter-Korean border and resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward South Korea.

On South Korea's bid to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) of its troops, Wi said the government expects a "tangible outcome" on the issue during South Korea-U.S. defense ministers' talks expected to be held in December and the bilateral Security Consultative Meeting set for early next year.

During a South Korea-U.S. summit in September, the two countries' leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation on the OPCON transfer, followed by a similar agreement during bilateral defense ministers' talks earlier this week, the presidential official also noted.

"In particular, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the U.S.' commitment to the OPCON transfer," Wi said, referring to the recent defense ministerial talks in the Philippines.

President Lee Jae Myung's administration seeks to regain wartime OPCON, currently held by the United States, before its term ends in 2030, or even earlier.

On the Strait of Hormuz, the security adviser said South Korea will consider the increased deployment of vessels and aircraft by major countries in the war-stricken strait when deciding how to contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the region.

"The government is considering ways to strengthen and expand the Cheonghae unit," a South Korean anti-piracy naval mission operating in the waters off Somalia, to cover the strait, he said, adding that no final decision has been made.

"Under any circumstances, South Korea will uphold its principles of never engaging in or interfering with the war and will carry out the minimum necessary activities and international contributions," he said.

The official stressed that protecting South Korean merchant vessels, crude oil transportation routes and South Korean nationals would be the focus of any potential mission in Hormuz.

He also reaffirmed that South Korea will continue to participate in international efforts to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia, despite its recent diplomatic dispute with Kyiv.

South Korea recently recalled some of its staff members from its embassy in Ukraine in protest against Ukraine's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and its subsequent denial that it had previously agreed with Seoul to keep the transfer confidential.

Wi additionally revealed that South Korea and the U.S. are close to reaching an agreement on the relocation of U.S. military facilities at the jointly used military airport in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

South Korea picked the military airport as the site for a semiconductor manufacturing cluster to be built under the Lee government's "three megaprojects" aimed at promoting future industries.

Wi said progress has been made recently toward relocating U.S. military facilities out of the airport, addressing concerns that those facilities, if the U.S. refuses to relocate them, would delay the construction of the chip cluster.

A senior presidential official told reporters that the government does not view any prolongation of the diplomatic issue with Ukraine positively and is trying to find a "way out" of the diplomatic standstill.

"We are continuing consultations on Ukraine. We are making efforts with the understanding that we need to break out of the current situation in South Korea-Ukraine relations," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Regarding the possibility of resuming talks between North Korea and the U.S., the official said there have been no clear indications of a resumption of bilateral dialogue.

The official, however, did not rule out the possibility, saying various possibilities remain open.

The official stressed that Seoul must pursue close communication and cooperation with the U.S. to have its interests reflected in case they do resume dialogue.

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