Seoul Demands Apology After Landmine Blasts Wound Three Soldiers in DMZ

South Korea’s military has formally demanded an apology from North Korea following landmine explosions along the heavily fortified border that wounded three South Korean personnel earlier this month.

The blasts occurred on September 21 within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the buffer strip separating the two nations. On Tuesday, Seoul stated that evidence indicated the explosions were “highly likely” caused by North Korean mines and vowed to take “corresponding measures” against what it described as a violation of the decades-old armistice.

Pyongyang has rejected the allegations, dismissing Seoul’s accusations as “groundless” and a “farce” designed to heighten tensions on the peninsula. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, issued a statement via state media on Wednesday accusing South Korea of fabricating the claims for “political and military provocation.”

Kim explicitly denied that North Korean forces had crossed the border to plant the devices, characterizing Seoul’s assertions as a “deliberate and planned strained assertion to shift the responsibility for escalating tension.” She further warned the South to be “prepared for paying price for the farce of their own making,” while also referencing a similar incident in 2015 where two South Korean soldiers were maimed by landmines.

Seoul maintains that the mines were laid by Pyongyang to strengthen its border defenses. In a statement released on Wednesday, the South Korean government called for an immediate halt to such fortification activities along the border.

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul previously characterized the explosions as a “clear” breach of the 1953 armistice agreement, which ended active combat in the Korean War and established the 4km-wide DMZ containing the Military Demarcation Line.

The incident has reignited fears of escalation between the two neighbors, whose relations have deteriorated significantly since the 2015 mine incident. Christopher Green, a senior consultant with the International Crisis Group, told the BBC that North Korea has been “wilfully attempting to harden the border” and eliminate inter-Korean relations, resulting in a loss of the low-level communication channels that existed a decade ago.

“Accidental escalation on the Korean Peninsula is always just a few steps away, and it’s fewer steps now than it was in 2015,” Green noted.

The United Nations Command, which conducted on-site investigations alongside the South Korean military, stated it would address the alleged violation through established armistice mechanisms. A UNC spokesperson affirmed its commitment to maintaining stability and preventing further escalation on the peninsula.