What did South Korea conclude about the Sept. 21 DMZ land mine explosions?

South Korea’s defense ministry concluded that North Korea was behind the Sept. 21 explosions. A joint investigation by the South Korean military and the U.N. Command determined that resin antipersonnel mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the blasts.

Why is South Korea’s unification ministry continuing to pursue dialogue after the DMZ blast?

The ministry said it wants to break the cycle of hostility and confrontation and build a cycle of peace and prosperity. It said lasting peace should be pursued through communication rather than a hard-line standoff.

What measures did South Korea take after the DMZ land mine explosions?

The South Korean military carried out a mine-clearing operation at the site. The unification ministry also said it would consider next steps with relevant government agencies, including the defense ministry.

Unification ministry vows dialogue over hard-line response to DMZ blast

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Summary

The unification ministry said Tuesday it will continue seeking dialogue over inter-Korean issues after North Korean-planted land mines exploded in the DMZ, injuring three South Korean military officers. Seoul’s defense ministry concluded Monday that North Korea was responsible for the Sept. 21 blasts. The ministry said it would coordinate next steps with relevant agencies while pursuing peace through communication rather than confrontation.

Key Facts

A joint investigation by the South Korean military and the U.N. Command confirmed that resin antipersonnel mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the explosions.
The South Korean military conducted a mine-clearing operation at the blast site.
The unification ministry said it would work with the defense ministry and other relevant government agencies to consider subsequent measures.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 6, 2026 11:54 am KST

Maj. Gen. Yang Jin-hyuk, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shows a North Korean plastic antipersonnel mine collected by the South Korean military, a device it says is identical to the North Korea-planted mine that injured South Korean troops in a blast, Sept. 21, during a press briefing at the defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The unification ministry said Tuesday it will keep seeking peaceful solutions to inter-Korean issues, reiterating its commitment to seeking dialogue following the recent explosions of North Korea-planted land mines inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean military officers.

The statement came a day after Seoul's defense ministry concluded North Korea was behind the Sept. 21 land mine explosions.

The ministry said it would consider the next steps with relevant government agencies, including the defense ministry.

"We will keep working to break the vicious cycle of hostility and confrontation, and to build a virtuous cycle of peace and prosperity," it said, adding it would pursue lasting peace "through communication rather than a hard-line standoff."

The South Korean military on Monday announced the final results of its joint investigation with the U.N. Command into the blast, confirming its preliminary findings that resin antipersonnel mines deliberately planted by Pyongyang south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the explosion.

The military conducted a mine-clearing operation at the site in response.

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