South Korea Blames North Korea for Explosions in Demilitarized Zone

South Korea's Defense Ministry blamed North Korea for the explosions in the Demilitarized Zone, a heavily mined buffer zone that has separated the Korean Peninsula since the 1953 armistice.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul's comments came a day after his ministry said it was "strongly suspected" that North Korean mines caused two explosions last week, AP reported. A South Korean soldier lost his foot in the explosion.

"This is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, and since North Korea is responsible, we will take the necessary measures," he told a parliamentary hearing in response to a question about whether the military had reached a preliminary conclusion that the mine belonged to North Korea.

Kang said South Korean forces were in the Demilitarized Zone to clear the area before an operation to be carried out with the UN Command to assess terrain changes caused by North Korean forces south of the Military Demarcation Line, which determines the de facto border between the two countries.

The minister stated that the mine detectors used by the authorities were "the newest models", but that the dense vegetation in the region hindered the detection efforts, and noted that "it was difficult to clear all the vegetation as we proceeded."

During the hearing, Chief of General Staff Yang Jin-hyeok told lawmakers that a site inspection today found an unexploded North Korean-made plastic anti-personnel mine.

Kang told lawmakers that the military "has a number of necessary measures in hand and will implement them in stages," but did not provide details.