Seoul Blames North Korea for DMZ Mine Blast

South Korea's military announced on Oct. 5 that North Korean plastic antipersonnel mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the Sept. 21 western DMZ blast that injured three soldiers. Two remain hospitalized with serious injuries. At a Ministry of National Defense briefing, Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won said a joint investigation with the U.N. Command and National Forensic Service evidence showed TNT and thermosetting resin matching North Korean mines, with fragments identical to mines recovered from the Imjin River. GPS put the blast sites about 10 meters south of the MDL. The exploded mine is believed planted about a year earlier. South Korea and the U.N. Command removed additional mines near the site around 12:51 p.m. Kwon urged North Korea to apologize sincerely and remove the mines, saying clearance would continue otherwise. Kim Yo-jong called the accusation groundless, rejected any apology, and warned of retaliation. North Korea has fortified the border since April 2024. Seoul proposed boundary talks last year; the North has not responded since declaring the South hostile in 2023.