S. Korea overhauls decades-old demining policy to reclaim borderlands

Marathon racers run near a land mine field during the 22nd Cheolwon DMZ International Peace Marathon in Cheolwon, Gangwon Province, Sept. 21, 2025. Korea Times file

In a fundamental departure from decades of military-led legacy operations, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense unveiled its inaugural five-year blueprint for landmine clearance, Monday.

The initiative, formally titled the First Basic Plan for Mine Action (2027–2031), marks a historic shift in how the nation handles the hazardous explosive remnants buried across its landscape — transitioning from a reactive military chore to a standardized, civilian-inclusive national project.

The scale of the danger remains a stubborn legacy of 20th-century conflict.

Across approximately 200 sites covering 85 square kilometers — primarily clustered near the Civilian Control Line bordering the Demilitarized Zone, which separates South Korea and North Korea, and around former rear-area air defense posts — unexploded ordinance and landmines still restrict land use and pose quiet risks to nearby residents. Historically, the South Korean military handled clearance purely through the lens of tactical necessity, deploying soldiers with traditional detectors in broad, uncoordinated sweeps that lacked standardized protocols for returning cleared land to the public.

Under the new paradigm, South Korea is abandoning simple "clearance-focused" operations in favor of an evidence-based system aligned with the United Nations-backed International Mine Action Standards. By the end of this year, defense authorities will codify the Korea Mine Action Standard, adapting global best practices to the country’s unique mountainous terrain, according to the ministry. Dedicated survey units will conduct rigorous preliminary investigations to map verified hazard zones; areas deemed clear of risk will see their hazardous designations formally lifted, allowing local governments and landowners to reclaim the property swiftly.

“In the past, clearance operations were repeatedly conducted across vast minefields without thorough preliminary investigation, leading to significant inefficiencies. Furthermore, we lacked robust legal mechanisms to safely and formally open cleared land back to the public upon completion,” a ministry spokesperson said.

Crucially, the plan legally opens the door for private sector participation.

As military demographics shift and requests for land release grow, qualified civilian contractors and nongovernmental organizations will be permitted to undertake detection and removal operations. Recognizing that domestic private clearance firms are currently nonexistent, the ministry said it plans a gradual phase-in starting in 2027 with small-scale pilot zones while offering international-grade training through military academies.

Governance will also expand beyond the armed forces. An interagency Mine Action Committee chaired by the defense minister — bringing together vice ministers from eight government bodies, regional deputy governors and civilian experts — will act as the central command structure, according to the ministry. Meanwhile, frontline clearing crews will increasingly trade manual probes for cutting-edge technology, integrating explosive-detection robotics, uncrewed ground vehicles and aerial drones.

By codifying systematic land release, boosting compensation protections for affected citizens and partnering with international organizations like the UN, the ministry said South Korea aims to transform a legacy of wartime fear into an engine for safe regional development.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.