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By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- An undetonated wooden-box land mine was spotted at the site of last week's explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to military sources Monday, citing initial statements from soldiers involved in the blast.
The statements were obtained as the military is working to determine the exact cause of last Monday's blast that occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) inside the DMZ separating the two Koreas. Two South Korean soldiers were severely wounded, with a third sustaining minor injuries.
The incident, which involved two separate explosions, is suspected of having been triggered by North Korean land mines.
It is too early to verify the statements regarding the additional land mine, including whether it belongs to North Korean forces, as the military investigation team was unable to reach the blast site during an operation Sunday, sources familiar with the probe said.
As the on-site investigation continues, retrieving the unexploded mine will be crucial to gathering evidence and making progress in the probe.
This image, captured from survey footage and provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shows military personnel clearing a route during a joint survey with the U.N. Command inside the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 26, 2026, ahead of an on-site investigation into the suspected mine blast that occurred south of the inter-Korean border earlier in the week. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
On Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it received testimony from troops on the ground that they witnessed a land mine similar to a North Korean wooden-box one near the explosion site.
"We received testimony that (what the troops witnessed) was similar to a wooden-box land mine," Brig. Gen. Hwang Ju-bong, the JCS chief of the ground operations division, said during a regular press briefing.
A wooden-box land mine is a type of an antipersonnel mine typically used by North Korean troops. It is encased in a small wooden box that is hard to detect with a mine detector and can easily drift across the border during heavy rains.
Three wooden-box land mines planted by North Korea exploded on the South Korean side of the DMZ in August 2015, seriously injuring two South Korean soldiers.
"There were some testimonies that said the object was similar in appearance to a wooden-box mine and appeared to be made of plastic, while another person testified that it was believed to be a different type of mine," Hwang said.
"Because of this, we cannot specify the exact type and can provide further explanation only after we verify it on site," he said.
The military also determined it is unlikely that rain washed away or damaged evidence, as the area received under 5 millimeters of rain following the blast.
The South Korean military and the U.N. Command (UNC), which oversees the border area, launched the joint investigation into the DMZ explosion Sunday.
They sought to reach the blast site to collect mine debris and other evidence material, but were forced to end the operations at sunset after clearing a path close to the site.
The National Forensic Service is currently analyzing mine fragments, explosive residue collected from the soldiers' protective suits and during surgery. The JCS has not yet been notified of the forensic results.
"We have initial testimonies based on which it remains difficult to pinpoint (the exact type of) land mines," Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told a Yonhap reporter upon arriving at his office earlier in the day.
"We will explain everything to the public once we verify those details through the on-site investigation," he said.
Following a meeting with lawmakers at the National Assembly on Monday, Kang said he will take "appropriate and corresponding" measures if Pyongyang was found to be responsible for the DMZ blast.
Kang flatly denied criticism that the government is trying to downplay or cover up the incident.
"I want to reiterate that there was absolutely no intentional delay or cover-up," he said.
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul listens to Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, speaking during their meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)
Some military experts believe the explosion was more likely caused by North Korean mines than South Korea's standard M14 or M16 antipersonnel mines, given the severity of the injuries and suspicions that North Korean troops planted mines in the area.
If confirmed as North Korean mines, the military will need to determine whether they were washed away due to rain or intentionally planted. The latter would amount to a violation of the armistice agreement.
The blast occurred during an operation to clear a path for a joint inspection between the South's military and the UNC to verify Seoul's suspicions that Pyongyang illegally buried land mines across the border in violation of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.
The South Korean military raised the suspicions after detecting physical changes to the terrain on the western front near the MDL and has been in talks with the UNC to investigate potential North Korean mine-laying activities.
"We made our initial observation of the area (change in terrain) in the second half of last year," Hwang noted.
Forensic authorities are expected to release initial findings from their analysis of the collected evidence soon.
elly@yna.co.kr
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