North Korea warns of retaliation if South Korea fires on barrier construction workers

The explosion was likely caused by mines in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.

On September 21, the South Korean Yonhap Agency reported that three people, including two South Korean soldiers, were injured as a result of the explosion. The soldiers at the site later announced the presence of another unexploded mine in the same area.

To clarify the details, a team of South Korean military personnel and the United Nations Command were sent to the site, and on Tuesday the team found a fourth mine, which according to the South Korean side belongs to North Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency quoted the head of the department in the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Yo Jong, as saying in a statement: "The military gangs in the Republic of Korea recently carried out a new provocation by publishing the 'results of the investigation' into the mine explosion that occurred in the southern border region... Of course, there is nothing new in such a farce."

She stressed that the North Korean military has been working for two years to establish barriers in the border area between the two countries. It considered this a sovereign right of Pyongyang, not linked to any military purpose.

It warned that if South Korean forces opened fire on North Korean army personnel working to build barriers, North Korean military personnel would respond with a counterstrike. She added that her country would strengthen tactical counter-strike assets in the demilitarized zone facing the South Korean Third Corps, vowing "merciless revenge if a single bullet falls."

The preliminary results of a joint investigation between the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United Nations Command suggested that the explosion was caused by mines recently planted by North Korea, and that the injured were clearing a patrol route in the western sector of the region. The ruling Democratic Party in South Korea is moving to issue a statement condemning Pyongyang for violating the armistice agreement.