What happened to the soldiers injured in the DMZ explosion near the Military Demarcation Line?

A suspected land mine blast inside the DMZ severed the ankle of a battalion commander and fractured the ankle of a noncommissioned officer. Both were injured while clearing a route south of the MDL for an upcoming U.N. Command inspection.

Why were South Korean soldiers operating in the DMZ before the blast?

They were clearing a path for a U.N. Command inspection scheduled for early next week. The inspection was related to North Korea's border-hardening measures, including mine-laying and fencing.

Defense minister visits soldiers injured in suspected DMZ land mine blast

Q: What did Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul promise after visiting the wounded soldiers?

He expressed deep sympathy, called the injured soldiers true heroes, and promised the government's full support for their medical treatment and recovery. He also vowed a thorough investigation into the explosion.

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Summary

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited injured Army soldiers at a military hospital in Seongnam on Wednesday after a suspected land mine explosion inside the inter-Korean border. The blast during a route-clearing operation severed one officer’s ankle and fractured another’s ankle. Kang promised full government support for their treatment and recovery and vowed a thorough investigation into the incident. The military is also investigating speculation that North Korean mines planted on the South side of the DMZ caused the explosion.

Key Facts

The wounded soldiers were treated at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, just south of Seoul.
The two victims were a lieutenant colonel and a sergeant first class of the 25th Infantry Division.
They were clearing a path for a U.N. Command inspection on North Korea's border-hardening measures, including mine-laying and fencing.
Kang Shin-chul officially took office on Tuesday and said the military will not shy away from responding to North Korean provocations.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 23, 2026 1:21 pm KST

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul speaks during a meeting with major military commanders at the headquarters of Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited a military hospital Wednesday to console two Army soldiers injured in a suspected land mine explosion inside the inter-Korean border, the defense ministry said.

The minister met with the wounded officers and their families at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, following Monday's blast that severed the ankle of a battalion commander and fractured the ankle of a noncommissioned officer.

Expressing his deep sympathies, Kang praised the soldiers as "true heroes" who put themselves in harm's way to protect their fellow service members, and promised the government's full support for their medical treatment and recovery, the ministry said.

The victims — a lieutenant colonel and a sergeant first class of the 25th Infantry Division — were caught in the blast south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.

They were clearing a path for a U.N. Command inspection on North Korea's border-hardening measures, such as mine-laying and fencing, which was set to begin early next week.

While an investigation is under way to determine the exact cause of the blast, speculation is growing that land mines illegally planted by North Korean troops on the South's side of the DMZ may be to blame.

Kang, who officially took office Tuesday, vowed a thorough investigation into the explosion, asserting that the military will not shy away from responding to North Korean provocations.

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