Seoul concludes North Korea responsible for DMZ land mine explosions

South Korea’s military said Monday that North Korean forces planted mines south of the Military Demarcation Line in the DMZ, calling it a violation of the 1953 Armistice Agreement. The conclusion followed a joint investigation with the United Nations Command and forensic findings after Sept. 21 explosions injured three South Korean troops. The Joint Chiefs of Staff demanded an apology and said mine-clearing operations in the area would continue if North Korea did not remove the mines.

The explosions occurred in the western sector of the DMZ and injured three South Korean troops, two of whom remain hospitalized with serious injuries.

GPS measurements put both blast sites and the location of an additional North Korean mine found on Sept. 29 about 10 meters south of the MDL.

The National Forensic Service said fragments recovered from the injured soldiers matched North Korean plastic anti-personnel mines previously collected from the Imjin River.

The JCS said the mines were buried 5 to 10 centimeters underground, while an unexploded North Korean mine found near the site was buried about 3 centimeters below the surface.

Kwon Dae-won said the UNC assessed that the mines were deliberately placed within the past 12 months.

Published Oct 5, 2026 4:37 pm KST

Updated Oct 5, 2026 10:10 pm KST

JCS says removal operations will continue unless Pyongyang voluntarily clears minefield

Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announces the final findings of an investigation into the Sept. 21 land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

South Korea’s military said Monday it has concluded that North Korean forces planted mines south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), in a violation of the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement.

The conclusion, drawing on a joint on-site investigation with the United Nations Command (UNC) and forensic findings from the National Forensic Service, came about two weeks after the Sept. 21 land mine explosions injured three South Korean troops.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it carried out a mine-clearance operation in the area earlier in the day, demanding an apology from Pyongyang and warning that Seoul would continue removing North Korean mines south of the MDL unless the North clears the mines voluntarily.

“In conclusion, based on the results of the joint investigation with the UNC and scientific evidence, we have determined that our troops conducting routine DMZ operations sustained serious injuries from North Korean plastic anti-personnel mines planted south of the MDL, under the pretext of North Korea’s so-called border-fortification work,” JCS Vice Chairman Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won said at the press briefing room of the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul.

The explosions occurred in the western sector of the DMZ. Two of the victims remain hospitalized with serious injuries, while a third is receiving treatment for less significant wounds.

Kwon said the assessment incorporated findings on the blast locations, the type and origin of the mines, and whether they had been deliberately placed rather than accidently carried into the area by flooding.

GPS measurements by the South Korea-UNC joint investigation team determined that both blast sites and the location where an additional North Korean mine was found on Sept. 29 were all about 10 meters south of the MDL, Kwon said. The team concluded that the North violated the armistice agreement, he added.

Examinations by the National Forensic Service corroborated the conclusion. A comparison of fragments recovered from the injured soldiers’ bodies with North Korean plastic anti-personnel mines previously collected from the Imjin River found that they were made of the same material.

Maj. Gen. Yang Jin-hyuk, the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s director of operations, holds up a previously recovered North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine during a briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The military also concluded that the mines had been buried, rather than washed southward by rain or flooding. Soldiers at the scene said the mines they observed had been buried 5 to 10 centimeters underground, while an unexploded North Korean mine found near the site was buried about 3 centimeters below the surface, according to the JCS.

“The UNC also assessed that the mines had been deliberately placed there and were laid within the past 12 months,” Kwon said. “Considering the spacing between the recovered mine and the blast craters, and the distance between the craters, it was determined to be typical buried North Korean mines, not mines displaced into the area.”

South Korea’s operation was intended to remove the mines south of the MDL, Kwon said. The operation was conducted safely in close coordination with the UNC, he added.

“If North Korea does not voluntarily remove the minefields it installed south of the MDL, our military will continue operations to clear those mines for the peace of the DMZ and the safety of our service members,” Kwon said. “We strongly urge North Korea to offer a sincere apology to our service members injured in the mine explosions and to immediately remove the mines it planted in violation of the Armistice Agreement.”

The incident comes as the Lee Jae Myung administration seeks to reduce inter-Korean military tensions and revive dialogue with Pyongyang under its policy of peaceful coexistence. After the mission, a defense ministry official said it is considering additional measures.

韩国军方周一表示，朝鲜军队在非军事区军事分界线以南埋设地雷，称其违反了1953年停战协定。此前，韩国军方与联合国军司令部联合展开调查，并结合9月21日爆炸事件造成的三名韩国士兵受伤的法医鉴定结果，得出上述结论。韩国联合参谋本部要求朝鲜道歉，并表示如果朝鲜不清除地雷，韩国将继续在该地区开展排雷行动。

爆炸发生在非军事区西部，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重，目前仍在医院接受治疗。

GPS测量结果显示，爆炸地点和9月29日发现的另一处朝鲜地雷的位置均位于MDL以南约10米处。

韩国国立科学检察院表示，从受伤士兵身上提取的碎片与此前从临津江打捞出的朝鲜塑料杀伤人员地雷相符。

联合参谋本部表示，这些地雷埋在地下 5 至 10 厘米处，而在附近发现的一枚未爆炸的朝鲜地雷埋在地表以下约 3 厘米处。

权大元表示，UNC评估认为这些地雷是在过去12个月内故意埋设的。

发布于2026年10月5日下午4:37（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月5日晚上10:10（韩国标准时间）

联合参谋本部表示，除非平壤方面自愿清除雷区，否则清除行动将继续进行。

周一，韩国联合参谋本部副会长权大元中将在首尔国防部宣布了对9月21日非军事区地雷爆炸事件的最终调查结果。（韩联社）

韩国军方周一表示，他们已得出结论，朝鲜军队在非军事区（DMZ）军事分界线（MDL）以南埋设地雷，违反了1953年朝鲜战争停战协定。

该结论是根据与联合国军司令部 (UNC) 的联合现场调查以及国家法医服务中心的法医鉴定结果得出的，距离 9 月 21 日地雷爆炸造成三名韩国士兵受伤大约两周后得出。

韩国联合参谋本部表示，当天早些时候在该地区进行了排雷行动，要求平壤道歉，并警告说，除非朝鲜自愿清除地雷，否则首尔将继续清除军事分界线以南的朝鲜地雷。

“综上所述，根据与联合国军联合调查的结果和科学证据，我们认定，我军在非军事区执行例行任务时，因朝鲜以所谓边境防御工程为借口，在军事分界线以南埋设塑料杀伤人员地雷而遭受严重伤亡。”韩国联合参谋本部副委员长权大元中将在首尔国防部新闻发布室表示。

爆炸发生在非军事区西部。两名伤者仍在医院接受治疗，伤势严重；第三名伤者伤势较轻，正在接受治疗。

权表示，评估结果包括爆炸地点、地雷的类型和来源，以及这些地雷是故意放置的还是被洪水意外带入该地区的。

权教授表示，韩国-联合国联合调查组利用GPS测量确定，两处爆炸地点以及9月29日发现的另一处朝鲜地雷的地点均位于军事分界线以南约10米处。他补充说，调查组得出结论，朝鲜违反了停战协定。

国家法医鉴定所的检验结果证实了这一结论。将从受伤士兵遗体上提取的碎片与此前从临津江打捞出的朝鲜塑料杀伤人员地雷进行比对，发现它们由相同的材料制成。

周一，韩国联合参谋本部作战部长杨镇赫少将在首尔国防部举行的新闻发布会上，展示了一枚此前缴获的朝鲜塑料杀伤人员地雷。照片由《韩国时报》沈贤哲拍摄。

军方还得出结论，这些地雷是被掩埋的，而不是被雨水或洪水冲刷到南方的。据联合参谋本部称，现场士兵表示，他们观察到的地雷埋在地下5到10厘米处，而在附近发现的一枚未爆炸的朝鲜地雷则埋在地表以下约3厘米处。

权先生说：“联合国委员会还评估认为，这些地雷是人为埋设的，埋设时间不超过12个月。考虑到已发现地雷与爆炸坑之间的间距以及爆炸坑之间的距离，可以确定这些地雷是典型的朝鲜埋设地雷，而不是被移入该地区的地雷。”

权先生表示，韩国此次行动旨在清除MDL以南的地雷。他还补充说，此次行动是在与联合国军密切协调下安全进行的。

权表示：“如果朝鲜不主动清除其在军事分界线以南布设的地雷，我军将继续开展排雷行动，以维护非军事区的和平以及我军官兵的安全。我们强烈敦促朝鲜就地雷爆炸中受伤的我军官兵向其真诚道歉，并立即清除其违反停战协定布设的地雷。”

此次事件发生之际，李在明政府正寻求缓和朝韩军事紧张局势，并根据其和平共处政策重启与平壤的对话。任务结束后，国防部一名官员表示，正在考虑采取进一步措施。