Military demands NK apology over DMZ mine blast as UNC confirms Armistice violation
Lt. Gen. Kang Hyun-woo, chief director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivers a statement on the land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
South Korea’s military on Wednesday demanded an apology from North Korea over a recent mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that seriously injured South Korean soldiers, calling on Pyongyang to halt its ongoing border fortification activities.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea has continued laying mines and carrying out what it calls the “fortification of its border” near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), saying such activities have heightened tensions along the inter-Korean border.
“This is a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement and undermines the spirit of existing inter-Korean agreements, and must be stopped immediately,” the JCS said. It also urged the North to offer an apology and take “responsible measures” over the Sept. 21 blast.
The United Nations Command (UNC), which conducted a joint on-site investigation with the South Korean military, said investigators found an active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the MDL.
“Based on the findings of the investigation, UNC determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred,” it said, adding that the violation is being addressed through established Armistice mechanisms.
The South Korean military statement came after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, earlier in the day rejected Seoul’s findings and accused the South of fabricating the incident.
Calling it “an obvious self-staged farce” reminiscent of the 2015 DMZ land mine incident, Kim claimed North Korean troops had “not once crossed the border” and warned that North Korean border units would retaliate “immediately and mercilessly” if South Korean troops used live fire against personnel involved in the North’s border fortification work.