Three Soldiers Injured in DMZ Explosion; Suspected North Korean Landmine
An unexplained explosion occurred at around 10:50 a.m. on the 21st in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division on the western front, in the border area of Paju and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, injuring three military officers with moderate to serious wounds during a path-clearing search operation. A Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said, "Three of our officers conducting an operation south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the DMZ on the western front were injured in an unexplained explosion." The military, in coordination with the United Nations Command, deployed an emergency helicopter into the DMZ, and all three injured personnel were transported to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, where they are being treated.
Path-clearing search operations involve identifying explosive hazards such as landmines and unexploded ordnance in unverified areas to secure safe passage. Military authorities are focusing on the possibility of a landmine as the cause of the explosion, but it has not yet been determined whether it was a friendly mine, one planted by North Korean forces, or a displaced mine. A JCS official said, "We will investigate with all possibilities open."
North Korea has been fortifying its border since declaring the two states as "hostile," laying tactical roads near the Military Demarcation Line and planting landmines. Rep. Yu Yong-won of the People Power Party claimed at a press conference at the National Assembly that day that the area where the explosion occurred is near a North Korean minefield, and argued that the nature of the injuries, including foot amputations, resembles the 2015 North Korean wooden-box landmine incident. In response, a JCS official explained, "The site of the accident is a considerable distance from that area."
With the JCS offering this explanation, determining the exact cause of the explosion is expected to provide the basis for future safety measures for DMZ search operations.
