Military authorities are leaning toward the assessment that the landmines which detonated on the 21st in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the western front were planted by the North Korean military, and that the timing of the planting may date back more than a year. The United Nations Command (UNC) is understood to have determined that the explosion site lies south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The military authorities additionally discovered one unexploded plastic anti-personnel landmine at the accident site.

Appearing at a plenary session of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee on the 29th, Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-chul stated, “Because this is a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement and the responsibility lies with North Korea, we will take corresponding measures,” adding, “We have necessary countermeasures and will implement them step-by-step.”

Minister Kang stated regarding the landmines at the site, “It appears they were not washed away,” affirming they were planted mines. He noted, “It is presumed they were [planted] in connection with border fortification efforts.”

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-won stated, “Experts [who participated in the on-site investigation] assessed that the [planting time] was more than a year ago.” Military authorities understand that the North Korean military has been using plastic anti-personnel landmines since 1969.

The fact that two unexploded landmines were found near the two detonated landmines also supports the circumstance that North Korean personnel may have planted them to establish a minefield. The JCS announced that it discovered an additional plastic anti-personnel landmine on this day about one meter away from the crater where the landmine explosion occurred.

According to photographs released by the JCS, the landmine in question, depicted as being buried in the surface soil, is brownish in color, rectangular in shape, and covered with dirt. This landmine is distinct from the single plastic anti-personnel landmine found by soldiers at the scene about one meter away from the crater at the time of the accident. This means there were at least four landmines spaced 1 to 2 meters apart at the accident site.

Vice Chairman Kwon stated, “The UN Command acknowledged [during the on-site investigation process] that the crater where the sergeant [a combat engineer] and the battalion commander [lieutenant colonel] were injured is definitely south of the MDL.” This implies that North Korean troops crossed south of the MDL to plant landmines. Minister Kang related to this, saying, “It is a violation of the Armistice Agreement” and “Naturally, it can be called a [North Korean] provocation.”

However, given that a significant number of the military demarcation line markers installed during the 1953 Armistice Agreement have been washed away, some point out that perceptions between the South and the North could differ as to whether the area in question is north or south of the MDL. Minister Kang remarked, “There are still many areas where respective claims differ, but in this area, the UN Command has a relatively clear definition of what constitutes the MDL,” while adding, “Taking this incident as an opportunity, we intend to strongly demand of the North, ‘Let us verify [regarding the MDL] mutually. Come out to the [dialogue] table.’”

Minister Kang further stated, “Beyond just the MDL, what is actually more important is the communication system,” adding, “We will strongly demand and elicit practical measures encompassing all of these things.”

Regarding the battalion commander, who sustained severe injuries including a severed ankle in the accident, the possibility is being raised that he may not have properly worn protective gear. Minister Kang said, “Because the battalion commander is still in the intensive care unit, we have not accurately confirmed this, but since he was in the process of withdrawing, it is possible that he temporarily unfastened and then re-secured [his anti-mine overboots],” adding, “We will investigate this part a bit further.”

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