(ATTN: UPDATES with UNC's statement in para 9; RECASTS lead, para 2)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korean land mines were highly likely the cause of a recent mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), South Korea's military has said, vowing to hold Pyongyang "fully" accountable and take corresponding measures if confirmed.
The military announced its preliminary findings from its joint investigation with the U.N. Command (UNC) on Monday, hours after revisiting the site of last Monday's explosion inside the DMZ separating the two Koreas.
The blast left two South Korean soldiers severely injured and another with minor injuries.
A focal point of the probe has been determining whether the mines belonged to North Korea, amid mounting speculation that land mines illegally planted by North Korean troops across the border caused the blast.
Forensic analysis of fragments and residue recovered from the scene revealed traces of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and brown synthetic material -- key features consistent with North Korean antipersonnel land mines that use plastic resin rather than traditional wooden casing -- Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a press briefing.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won announces the interim results of a military investigation into mine explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone, at the defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on Sept. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)
"Considering the blast crater, flame patterns and the extent of the injuries, the evidence strongly points to North Korean land mines, and based on these factors, we have concluded that North Korean land mines highly likely caused the explosion," Kwon said.
"If the final investigation confirms that this was inflicted by land mines laid by North Korean forces, it constitutes a clear attack in which our soldiers, who were lawfully performing DMZ operations south of the MDL, were injured by North Korean mines and consequently, accountability rests entirely with North Korea," he said.
"Our military will take appropriate and corresponding measures," Kwon stressed.
Asked to comment on the preliminary investigation results, UNC told Yonhap News Agency that it has no further comment "while the incident remains under investigation."
The South Korean military found that the explosion occurred about 10 meters south of the MDL and roughly 10 meters from the area where North Korea is suspected of having planted mines.
A total of three mines were believed to have been buried at the blast site, including the two detonated, based on the solders' statements that they spotted an unexploded land mine when they were retreating from the area.
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.
A second operation for the investigation was carried out Monday to reach the area where the mines exploded and to collect evidence, following an unsuccessful attempt a day earlier due largely to fading daylight and other operational limitations.
The military plans to announce the final results of the joint investigation with the UNC at a later date.
Maj. Gen. Yang Jin-hyuk, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff operations planning division, speaks during a press briefing on the preliminary results of an investigation into a land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone, at the defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on Sept. 28, 2026. (Yonhap)
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