South Korea demands apology from Pyongyang for landmine blasts that injured three

South Korea demands North Korean apology over border landmine blasts

South Korea’s military has demanded that North Korea apologise over landmine explosions along their shared border that injured three South Korean personnel earlier this month.

The soldiers were wounded by explosions in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the buffer area separating the two Koreas, on 21 September.

South Korean authorities said on Tuesday that the blasts occurred on their side of the DMZ and were “highly likely” to have been caused by North Korean mines.

Seoul said it would take “corresponding measures”, describing the incident as a violation of the decades-old armistice that ended active fighting in the Korean War.

North Korea has rejected the accusation, describing Seoul’s claims as “groundless” and a “farce” intended to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Yo Jong rejects Seoul’s allegations

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea of “cooking up” the allegations as part of what she called a “political and military provocation”.

She also rejected suggestions that North Korean personnel had crossed the border to plant the mines.

Kim described the claim as “a deliberate and planned strained assertion to shift the responsibility for escalating tension” onto North Korea.

In a statement published by North Korean state media on Wednesday, she warned South Korea to be “prepared for paying price for the farce of their own making.”

South Korea believes the mines were likely planted by Pyongyang as part of efforts to reinforce its border.

In a statement on Wednesday, Seoul called on North Korea to apologise for the explosions and immediately halt such fortification activities along the border.

Seoul calls explosions a violation of 1953 armistice

South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said on Tuesday that the explosions represented a “clear” violation of the 1953 armistice agreement.

The armistice halted active combat in the Korean War and established the 4km-wide DMZ, a buffer zone containing the Military Demarcation Line that marks the land boundary between North and South Korea.

The heavily fortified area has seen sporadic clashes and mine explosions over the decades.

In 2015, two South Korean soldiers were seriously injured by landmines while patrolling the DMZ. Seoul said North Korean soldiers had secretly planted the mines near a South Korean guard post, an allegation Pyongyang denied.

Kim Yo Jong referred to the 2015 incident in her latest statement, accusing South Korea of using it as a “pretext” to heighten tensions and saying the same approach was being used again.

UN Command to address incident through armistice mechanisms

The United Nations Command (UNC), which conducted an on-site investigation into the latest explosions together with the South Korean military, said the alleged violation would be addressed through established procedures under the 1953 armistice.

“UNC remains committed to maintaining and enforcing the Armistice Agreement and fulfilling its responsibilities to preserve stability and prevent escalation on the Korean Peninsula,” the command said.