South Korea’s unification minister says he opposed a foreign ministry proposal to sanction North Korean cyber operatives in response to the Sept. 21 mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), arguing that the two issues are unrelated.

“What does a cyber sanction have to do with responding to a land mine explosion?” Chung Dong-young said during a parliamentary audit on Wednesday. “The Ministry of Unification has its own role, just as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does. It is only natural for us to have different views.”

His remarks come two days after JoongAng Ilbo reportedhe clashed with Foreign