(LEAD) Defense chief says N. Korean land mine found near DMZ blast site was buried

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SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Tuesday a North Korean land mine found at the site of last week's explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was a mine buried by North Korean forces, not the one that was washed away.

Kang's remarks come as the South Korean military on Tuesday found one North Korean resin antipersonnel mine near the site of the Sept. 21 blast south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas. The incident left three South Korean soldiers injured, two of them with severe wounds.

"(It was) buried," Kang said in response to an inquiry by Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition party who asked whether the land mine was buried in the ground or the one deemed to have been washed away.

"(The North Korean land mine) is presumed to be linked to Pyongyang's border reinforcement work," he said, when asked if he believes the mine in question was deliberately planted by North Korea.

Considering that multiple mines were spotted being placed some 1-2 meters away from each other, Kang also said the possibility that the land mine was swept away was "very low."

Earlier in the day, the defense chief said at least four mines were believed to have been placed at or near the DMZ explosion site.

On whether he was certain if the cause of last week's blast was due to North Korea-planted land mines, the defense chief said "yes."

After a joint inspection of the site with the United Nations Command (UNC) on Monday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North Korean land mines were "highly likely" the cause of last week's explosion.

The military said the previous day that a total of three mines were believed to have been buried at the blast site, including the two that detonated, based on the soldiers' statements that they had 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.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul speaks during a plenary session of the National Defense Committee over the recent land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 29, 2026. (Yonhap)

In response to a lawmaker's point that the recent explosion was a violation of the armistice agreement, Kang agreed, reiterating his earlier pledge to take "corresponding measures" if the explosion is confirmed to have been caused by land mines planted by North Korean troops.

"It is clearly a violation of the armistice agreement, and the responsibility lies with North Korea, so we will take corresponding measures," he said, without elaborating on what these measures would entail.

"If confirmed, we will cooperate with the UNC and the international community, and clearly hold those responsible to account," he added.

sookim@yna.co.kr (END)

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(LEAD) Defense chief says N. Korean land mine found near DMZ blast site was buried

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首尔，9月29日（韩联社）——韩国国防部长姜信哲周二表示，在上周非军事区爆炸现场发现的朝鲜地雷是朝鲜军队埋设的，而不是被冲走的那枚。

康发表上述言论之际，韩国军方周二在朝韩军事分界线以南、9月21日爆炸地点附近发现了一枚朝鲜制造的树脂杀伤人员地雷。该爆炸事件造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重。

康在回答主要反对党议员俞永元的询问时说：“（它）被埋起来了。”俞永元询问的是，地雷是被埋在地下的，还是被认为已被冲走的。

当被问及是否相信这枚地雷是朝鲜故意埋设的时，他说：“（朝鲜地雷）据推测与平壤的边境加固工程有关。”

考虑到发现多枚地雷彼此相距约 1-2 米，康还表示，地雷被冲走的可能性“非常低”。

当天早些时候，国防部长表示，据信至少有四枚地雷被放置在非军事区爆炸地点或附近。

当被问及是否确定上周爆炸是由朝鲜埋设的地雷造成的时，国防部长回答说“是的”。

周一，在与联合国军司令部（UNC）联合视察现场后，联合参谋本部（JCS）表示，朝鲜地雷“极有可能”是上周爆炸的原因。

军方前一天表示，根据士兵们的陈述，他们在撤离该地区时发现了一枚未爆炸的地雷，据信爆炸现场共埋有三枚地雷，其中包括两枚爆炸的地雷。

爆炸发生在韩国军方和联合国军联合检查的行动中，目的是清理道路，以核实首尔的怀疑，即平壤违反了结束 1950-53 年朝鲜战争的停战协定，非法在边境埋设地雷。

2026年9月29日，韩国国防部长姜新哲在国防委员会全体会议上就近期非军事区内发生的地雷爆炸事件发表讲话。（韩联社）

针对一位议员指出最近发生的爆炸违反了停战协定，康表示同意，并重申了他早前的承诺，即如果证实爆炸是由朝鲜军队埋设的地雷引起的，他将采取“相应的措施”。

“这显然违反了停战协定，责任在于朝鲜，因此我们将采取相应的措施，”他说道，但没有详细说明这些措施将包括什么。

“如果得到证实，我们将与联合国大会和国际社会合作，并明确追究相关责任人的责任，”他补充道。

sookim@yna.co.kr (完)

韩国军方在非军事区爆炸现场调查中发现1枚朝鲜遗留的树脂杀伤人员地雷

（第二份LD）韩国军方称，朝鲜地雷极有可能是非军事区爆炸的原因。

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（导语）国防部长称，在非军事区爆炸地点附近发现的朝鲜地雷已被掩埋