Military Begins Mine Removal Operation After Final Ruling That N. Korean Mines Caused Injuries

The military announced on October 5 its final determination that the explosion last month on the 21st in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the western front was caused by wooden box anti-personnel mines planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). That same afternoon, it launched an operation to remove North Korean mines around the blast site. Three South Korean officers were injured in the explosion.

"Based on the results of the joint investigation with the United Nations Command (UNC) and scientific evidence, we have made the final determination that our soldiers, who were conducting routine DMZ operations, were seriously injured by wooden box anti-personnel mines that North Korea planted south of the MDL under the pretext of so-called border fortification work," said Kwon Dae-won, deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a briefing on the final findings of the joint field investigation task force held at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, on October 5. Yang Jin-hyuk, director of operations at the JCS, also attended the briefing. The investigation was conducted along three tracks: the blast site, the type and ownership of the mines, and whether they had been planted.

GPS analysis confirmed that the sites of the first and second explosions, as well as an actual North Korean wooden box anti-personnel mine found at the scene of the accident on the 29th of last month, were all located some 10 meters south of the MDL. "The UNC and the joint investigation team confirmed the three sites by GPS and determined them to be violations of the Armistice Agreement," Kwon said.

The removal operation was carried out in coordination with the UNC, in compliance with the Armistice Agreement and with measures in place to prevent accidental clashes, and marks the South Korean military's first substantive response to the North Korean mine explosion in the DMZ. The military said it will continue the removal operation unless North Korea voluntarily clears the minefield.

"We strongly urge North Korea to offer a sincere apology, even now, to our soldiers injured in this explosion and to immediately remove the mines that violate the Armistice Agreement," Kwon said. If North Korea fails to comply, inter-Korean tensions are expected to escalate.