South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff released preliminary investigation findings Monday suggesting that North Korean landmines were responsible for an explosion in the Demilitarised Zone that occurred on September 21. The blast injured three South Korean military officers in the western sector of the DMZ, the heavily fortified buffer separating the two nations.
Lieutenant-General Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that analysis of the crater formation, flame pattern, and injury severity pointed to North Korean mines as the likely cause. He noted the explosion site was approximately 10 metres from terrain where North Korean forces had recently planted mines.
The DMZ, which stretches 248 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide, contains an estimated 2 million mines and periodically experiences explosions that wound military personnel. The region has remained heavily militarized since the Korean War armistice in 1953, with the two countries technically remaining at war despite the absence of active conflict.
Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have grown increasingly strained in recent years. In 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un designated South Korea as the country’s “principal enemy,” and Pyongyang has subsequently undertaken efforts to expand mine placements and construct anti-tank barriers along the border.
Kwon stated that if the investigation substantiates North Korean responsibility, South Korea’s military would implement “appropriate and corresponding measures” in response.
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