Seoul ‘fabricated” landmine blast, North Korea tells UN in letter

South Korea blames Pyongyang for September landmine blast, but North Korea says incident a ‘sinister obstructive move’.

Tourists use binoculars to view North Korea from an observation post in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, on May 25, 2024 [Jae C Hong/AP Photo]

Pyongyang has sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) accusing Seoul of fabricating a landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers, according to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency.

The North Korean permanent representative to the UN wrote to the UNSC on Sunday regarding the “provocation the ROK [Republic of Korea] committed by groundlessly shifting the blame for the dubious ‘mine explosion incident’”, warning that violations of the country’s sovereignty could trigger self-defence.

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Tensions have intensified after South Korea blamed a September 21 explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries on North Korean landmines. North Korea has rejected the accusations.

Pyongyang’s UN representative alleged the landmine incident was “a sinister obstructive move to brand as a ‘military invasion’”, adding that South Korea’s claims were a “farce to evade the responsibility for the ever-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula”.

North Korea’s ongoing border fortification efforts were “a legitimate and just exercise of its sovereignty going in strict conformity with the UN Charter”, the letter states, while also criticising South Korea for violating the charter by firing warning shots at soldiers in the DMZ.

South Korea has said it fires shots to make North Korean soldiers return to the north when they cross the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that runs through the DMZ. In recent years, North Korean personnel have been building tactical roads and fences near the MDL.

A barbed-wired fence is seen near the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, on June 11, 2024 [Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]

Last week, the South Korean Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the president of the UNSC, casting blame on North Korea for the landmine blast and calling it a “clear violation of the armistice agreement”.

The United States-led UN Command also said mine placement by North Korea violated the Armistice Agreement, signed in 1953 to end hostilities in the Korean War.

Days before North Korea’s letter to the UN, South ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Korea’s ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Defence Ministry proposed military talks to Pyongyang to “mutually confirm the precise location” of their border to reduce the risk of accidental clashes.

韩国指责平壤策划了9月份的地雷爆炸事件，但朝鲜称该事件是“险恶的阻挠行为”。

2024年5月25日，游客在韩国坡州非军事区的一个观察哨使用望远镜眺望朝鲜。[Jae C Hong/AP Photo]

据朝鲜中央通讯社报道，平壤已致函联合国安理会，指责首尔捏造地雷爆炸事件，导致三名韩国士兵受伤。

朝鲜常驻联合国代表周日致函联合国安理会，就“韩国毫无根据地将可疑的‘地雷爆炸事件’的责任推卸给朝鲜”一事表示挑衅，并警告称，侵犯​​国家主权的行为可能引发朝鲜的自卫行动。

列表 1/4：韩国邀请朝鲜就边界问题举行军事会谈

列表 2/4：金正恩走过连接朝鲜和中国的新桥

朝鲜将恢复宣传广播，韩国敦促双方对话（名单共4项，此为第3项）。

专家称，中朝边境大桥建设可能对促进贸易作用不大（共4座，此列为第4座）。

韩国指责朝鲜埋设地雷导致9月21日朝韩非军事区内发生的爆炸事件，此后紧张局势加剧。朝鲜否认了这些指控。

平壤驻联合国代表称，地雷事件是“一种险恶的阻挠行为，旨在将其贴上‘军事入侵’的标签”，并补充说，韩国的说法是“一场闹剧，旨在逃避其对朝鲜半岛日益紧张局势的责任”。

信中指出，朝鲜持续进行的边境防御工作是“其主权的合法公正行使，严格符合《联合国宪章》”，同时批评韩国违反宪章，向非军事区士兵鸣枪示警。

韩国方面表示，当朝鲜士兵越过贯穿非军事区的军事分界线（MDL）时，韩国会鸣枪示警，迫使其返回北方。近年来，朝鲜人员一直在军事分界线附近修建战术道路和围栏。

2024年6月11日，在韩国坡州非军事区附近可以看到带刺铁丝网。[Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]

上周，韩国外交部致函联合国安理会主席，指责朝鲜制造地雷爆炸事件，称其“明显违反了停战协定”。

美国领导的联合国军司令部还表示，朝鲜布雷违反了1953年签署的旨在结束朝鲜战争敌对行动的停战协定。

在朝鲜致函联合国的前几天，韩国国防部提议与平壤举行军事会谈，以“相互确认”两国边界的确切位置，从而降低意外冲突的风险。