(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Cheol-seon = On the 21st, a suspected landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) occurred tens of meters away from an area where the North Korean military is suspected of having laid landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line (DML).
The military sent evidence to the National Institute of Forensic Science and requested an analysis to determine whether it was a North Korean military mine or a friendly mine, and plans to conduct an accident site investigation with the United Nations Command to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff's explanation of the situation on the 23rd based on the initial statements of the soldiers who were involved in the operation, a total of 18 people, including 15 executives and 3 soldiers, were deployed in the DMZ search route pioneering operation at the time.
A UNC on-site inspection of a suspected North Korean mine-laying area south of the MDL was scheduled early next week, and it was an operation to open a new search route so that the UNC could access the area.
The accident is said to have occurred at the time of returning from the conclusion of the search and pioneering operation that day.
The initial statements of the participating soldiers were that the first sergeant (engineer) at the forefront of the pioneering operation was injured in the first explosion at around 10:50 a.m. on the 21st, and that the second explosion occurred while the search battalion commander (lieutenant colonel) was approaching the first sergeant for safety measures.
Afterwards, two seriously injured people were evacuated to the Armed Forces Capital Integrated Hospital via a medical evacuation helicopter life-saving lifter (hoist) within the DMZ, and the remaining 16 people walked down to the south of the propulsion fence and were evacuated by helicopter.
It is said that the military notified North Korea before deploying helicopters into the DMZ, and even broadcast from an adjacent guard post (GP), saying, “There have been injuries, so a direct plane (the North Korean word for helicopter) is going in.”
An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “The area where the situation occurred is tens of meters away from the area believed to be a minefield laid by the North Korean military.”
However, the accident area is a place where bushes grow up to the height of an adult's waist, and the surrounding bush is thick, making it a blind spot for surveillance.
For this reason, the military explained that although there is no thermal imaging device (TOD) video recording the accident, like the North Korean wooden box landmine incident in 2015, the body camera video worn by the operational troops has been secured and is being analyzed in detail.
At the time, the search battalion commander and sergeant were wearing all protective equipment, including mine combat boots, double overshoes, and bulletproof vests, but were seriously injured in the explosion and underwent surgery at the hospital. It is reported that the condition is not life-threatening.
In addition, one soldier who participated in the operation is hospitalized for minor injuries, and the remaining 15 were discharged after detailed examination.
It is known that the M14 anti-personnel mines normally used by the Korean military do not lead to serious injuries as in this accident if protective gear such as mine overshoes is worn. This raises the possibility of North Korean anti-personnel mines, such as wooden box mines, which have stronger destructive power.
However, an official from the Ministry of National Defense explained, “The area where the accident occurred is where a river flows nearby,” and “There is a possibility of land mines being lost along the river.”
The military announced that it had requested the National Forensic Service to analyze evidence such as protective clothing and mine overshoes worn by soldiers at the time of the accident to confirm whether the exploded mine was a North Korean military mine or a friendly mine. The first appraisal results are expected to come out next week.
In addition, we plan to establish a joint investigation team including the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission and conduct an accident site investigation in the near future.
The military plans to make a final judgment on the extent to which the North Korean military intervened against communism based on the results of the National Forensic Service and the results of an on-site joint investigation.
