South Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea after a 21 September explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone seriously injured three South Korean soldiers, one of whom lost a foot.
The blast occurred as the soldiers carried out what Seoul described as routine search operations south of the Military Demarcation Line. Kang Hyun-woo, chief director of operations at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the injuries were caused by North Korean landmines.
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“This is a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement and undermines the spirit of existing inter-Korean agreements; it must be stopped immediately,” Mr Kang told reporters. “We strongly urge an apology and responsible measures.”
He delivered the statement in a raised voice, staring directly into the camera.
Kim Yo Jong dismissed Seoul’s accusation as “too low and dirty as befitting the tribes of the ROK”, according to North Korea’s KCNA news agency. The phrase refers to South Korea’s formal name, the Republic of Korea.
Kim Yo Jong (file image)
The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Landmine incidents have repeatedly added to tensions along the heavily fortified frontier.
The DMZ, a mined buffer separating the countries since the armistice, was the site of the latest explosion. One of the three South Korean officers injured in the incident lost his foot.
Following an investigation, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it had determined that North Korean mines were “highly suspected” of causing the two explosions.
“This is a clear violation of the armistice agreement, and since North Korea bears responsibility, we will take corresponding measures,” South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said.
North Korea rejected the claim. Ms Kim accused Seoul of “cooking up” false allegations to create a pretext for political and military provocation, KCNA reported.
Since 2024, when Mr Kim designated South Korea his country’s “principal enemy”, North Korea has laid mines and constructed anti-tank barriers along the border as part of a broader effort to seal the frontier permanently.
As part of the same operation, Pyongyang also demolished the northern sections of disused inter-Korean roads.
Mr Kang said the mines believed to be responsible for the 21 September explosions were likely planted during that border fortification work.
The latest incident recalls a 2015 blast on the southern side of the DMZ that seriously wounded two South Korean soldiers, including one who lost both legs.
Seoul concluded that North Korean troops had crossed the Military Demarcation Line to plant the mines, while Pyongyang denied the accusation.
The confrontation led South Korea to restart loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea along the border.
