South Korea Says North Korean Mines Injured 3 Officers in DMZ Blasts
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 28
South Korea Says North Korean Mines Injured 3 Officers in DMZ Blasts
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 28
Summary
Three South Korean officers were injured in two Sept. 21 explosions about 10 meters south of the military demarcation line, and Seoul now says there is a “very high possibility” North Korean mines caused them.
A joint inspection with the U.N. Command found TNT traces, blast marks, debris and a suspected third mine, while the lack of metal fragments indicated the explosives were not South Korean or allied mines.
The blasts hit an 18-member team opening a rarely visited patrol route for future inspections after South Korea detected terrain changes last year that may have reflected new North Korean mine-laying.
South Korea said it will hold Pyongyang fully responsible if the final investigation confirms the finding, raising the risk of fresh border friction as North Korea expands fortifications and military activity near the DMZ.
The incident echoes a 2015 mine attack that maimed two South Korean soldiers and triggered a sharp military standoff, complicating Seoul’s current push to revive diplomacy with Pyongyang and Washington.