South Korea Blames North Korea for Border Mine Blast Injuries

South Korea's military announced Monday that it has concluded North Korea planted mines that injured three South Korean soldiers near their heavily fortified border last month. The military urged North Korea to offer a sincere apology and remove other mines it has placed in violation of the Korean War armistice agreement.

The announcement follows North Korea's denial of responsibility for the Sept. 21 explosions and its threat of retaliation if provoked. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that a joint investigation with the U.S.-led U.N. Command, forensic analysis of TNT and other substances from the site, and the discovery of another North Korean mine days after the incident led to the final conclusion.

Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a televised briefing that the mines were planted south of the border and exploded while soldiers were creating a patrol route in a densely vegetated area. He emphasized that the armistice agreement prohibits hostile acts within, from, or against the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and unauthorized crossings of the military demarcation line.

The DMZ, despite its name, is one of the world's most heavily armed borders, with an estimated 2 million mines. North Korea has recently augmented its front-line defenses with mines and anti-tank barriers.

The South Korean military has removed a North Korean minefield around the blast site and plans to clear other such fields south of the border unless North Korea voluntarily removes them. While South Korea previously indicated it would take unspecified responsive measures if North Korea was found responsible, no substantial punitive actions were immediately announced.

This incident occurred at a sensitive time for South Korea's liberal government, which has been working to facilitate talks between North Korea and the United States. The goal is to restart inter-Korean dialogue and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has not engaged in any dialogue with South Korea or the U.S. since the collapse of high-stakes nuclear diplomacy between leader Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019.

In 2015, similar border mine blasts attributed to North Korea brought the two Koreas to the brink of armed conflict, following South Korea's resumption of front-line propaganda broadcasts after an 11-year hiatus.