North Korea's Laying of Landmines South of the MDL Violates the Armistice Agreement
South Korea's military and the United Nations Command (UNC) officially announced on the 30th that North Korea violated the Armistice Agreement (the pact both Koreas committed to upholding to maintain the ceasefire) by planting landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL, the boundary where the two Koreas' forces face each other). The announcement is based on the September 21 incident in which South Korean service members conducting routine search operations in the DMZ (the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas) were casualties of an explosion from a landmine planted by the North Korean military. Kang Hyun-woo, Director of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, disclosed the position in a briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
The UNC discovered an additional North Korean wooden-box (plastic) anti-personnel landmine south of the MDL during an on-site investigation the previous day. Based on this finding, the UNC determined that a violation of the Armistice Agreement had occurred, stating in a press release that it was "taking measures in accordance with the established armistice system."
Kim Yo-jong, Director of the Workers' Party General Affairs Department, flatly denied the South Korean military's announcement in a statement, claiming the incident was an "obvious self-staged drama" reminiscent of the 2015 wooden-box landmine incident. She asserted that the border fortification work was "a thorough exercise of sovereignty with no military purpose whatsoever," and said the work would be accelerated.
The South Korean military announced it would take measures to bolster tactical counterattack capabilities of the 21st Infantry Division of the 3rd Corps in the DMZ direction. North Korea has continued border fortification efforts since 2024, including blowing up inter-Korean roads and railways, planting landmines, and installing barriers.
The UNC is expected to proceed with notifying the North of the violation and proposing dialogue in accordance with the armistice system.
