What did North Korea tell the U.N. Security Council about the DMZ mine blast?

In a letter sent by its U.N. representative, Pyongyang called South Korea’s account fabricated and said Seoul was trying to obstruct North Korea’s border fortification work. North Korea also accused South Korean forces of firing warning shots at personnel working on the project.

Why did North Korea say it was fortifying its border, and what legal basis did it cite?

Pyongyang characterized the fortification as a self-defensive measure to protect its territorial security from outside threats, and said it was consistent with the U.N. Charter and international law. It accused South Korea of violating Article 2 (4) of the charter and cited Article 51 as the basis for a possible right to self-defense.

What did South Korea ask North Korea to do after the Sept. 21 DMZ mine blast?

South Korea urged Pyongyang to apologize, take responsibility and adopt responsible measures. Its letter also called for dialogue to prevent further escalation and restore trust, saying the mine had been planted by North Korean troops in violation of the Armistice Agreement.

NK sends letter to UNSC calling DMZ mine blast S. Korean fabrication

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Summary

North Korea sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council president on Sunday calling South Korea’s account of last month’s DMZ land mine blast fabricated. Pyongyang said Seoul was using the incident to impede North Korean border fortification work and accused South Korean forces of firing warning shots at its personnel. The exchange followed South Korea’s appeal for an apology and responsibility over the Sept. 21 blast, which injured three South Korean soldiers.

Key Facts

The letter was sent by North Korea’s permanent representative to the United Nations, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Pyongyang described its border fortification work as a self-defensive measure and said it conformed with the U.N. Charter and international law.
North Korea accused South Korean forces of violating Article 2 (4) of the U.N. Charter and warned it would invoke Article 51 if its territory or personnel were directly threatened.
South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Cha Ji-hoon sent a roughly two-page letter on Thursday to the Greek counterpart holding the Security Council’s rotating presidency.
South Korea’s letter said an investigation found that a North Korean-planted mine caused the Sept. 21 blast in violation of the Armistice Agreement, and urged dialogue to prevent escalation and restore trust.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 26, 2026 8:54 am KST

North Korean soldiers work on what appears to be a mission to construct tactical roads and fences near a border area, seen from South Korea's western border island of Ganghwa, Oct. 22. Yonhap

North Korea has sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) calling last month's land mine blast near the border an incident "fabricated" by South Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday.

The North's move came less than a week after South Korea sent to the council its own letter calling on North Korea to apologize for the Sept. 21 mine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers and take responsibility for its violation of the Armistice Agreement.

The letter, sent Sunday by Pyongyang's permanent representative to the United Nations, said Seoul "fabricated" the mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a "sinister" attempt to "impede" the North's border fortification work, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North described the fortification a "legitimate and just exercise of its sovereignty going in strict conformity with the U.N. Charter and international law as it is a self-defensive measure to defend its territorial security from outside threat of aggression."

It also accused the South Korean military of firing warning shots at North Korean "service personnel" working on the project, calling it a "wanton violation" of Article 2 (4) of the U.N. Charter, which requires states to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of any country.

Pyongyang warned it would "exercise the right to self-defense specified in Article 51 of the U.N. Charter" if Seoul "invades the territory of our country even a millimeter or perpetrates a direct provocation doing harm to our personnel's safety and lives."

South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Cha Ji-hoon on Thursday addressed the roughly two-page letter to his Greek counterpart, who holds the council's rotating presidency, outlining the findings of an investigation into the explosion.

The letter is said to stress that the blast was caused by a land mine planted by North Korean troops in violation of the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

It also urged Pyongyang to take responsible measures and engage in dialogue to prevent further escalation and restore trust.

The tit-for-tat exchange comes amid heightened tensions along the inter-Korean border, with North Korea threatening to resume loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South.

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