South Korea: North responsible for mine explosion in DMZ

North Korea is responsible for a mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers last week. Seoul Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said this on the basis of the preliminary results of the investigation.

“This is a clear violation of the armistice agreement, and since North Korea is responsible for it, we will take appropriate action,” Kang said during a parliamentary hearing.

The South Korean military found a North Korean resin anti-personnel mine during an on-site inspection to shed light on the explosion that occurred last week in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. This was reported by military sources cited by Yonhap.

The mine was detected near the site of the September 21 explosion, south of the military demarcation line. The discovery occurred during an inspection conducted jointly with the United Nations Command.

Yesterday the South Korean General Staff said that it was "highly probable" that North Korean mines were at the origin of the explosion, which injured three South Korean soldiers.

According to the General Staff, the mine found today is different from the one described by the soldiers involved in last week's operation. Yesterday the army reported that a total of three mines were believed to have been buried in the area of ​​the explosion: two had exploded, while a third unexploded one was seen by the soldiers during their retreat.