South Korea links DMZ explosions to North Korean mines — Korea Herald

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that explosions on September 21 in the western part of the Demilitarized Zone, which injured three servicemen, were very likely caused by North Korean mines. Final conclusions are to be made after a further investigation involving the UN Command, Korea Herald reports.

According to the South Korean military, two servicemen sustained serious injuries and another suffered minor injuries. Those seriously injured include the commander of a reconnaissance battalion and a military engineer. The explosions occurred about 10 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas.

Signs of North Korean mines

The military said it has no records of South Korean mines having been laid at the site. At the same time, signs of mine-laying by North Korean troops were recorded nearby in September 2025.

A preliminary analysis by the National Forensic Service found traces of TNT and brown foreign material on equipment recovered at the site, but detected no metal fragments. The command believes that the absence of such fragments does not support the theory of South Korean anti-personnel mines.

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Participants in the operation also reported seeing a brown rectangular object, resembling a North Korean anti-personnel mine, about one meter from the site of the first explosion. The military considered the shape of the craters, the nature of the flames, the severity of the injuries, and testimony from people at the scene. However, the object has not yet been recovered.

Possible response from Seoul

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lieutenant General Kwon Dae Won said North Korea would bear responsibility for the injuries to the servicemen if the final investigation confirms the origin of the mines. The South Korean military promised to take appropriate measures but did not specify what they would be.

The command has not yet determined whether the mines were deliberately laid south of the demarcation line or moved there from another location. All 18 participants in the operation were taken to the Armed Forces Central Hospital after the explosions: 15 have already been discharged, while the three injured servicemen remain hospitalized.