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An undetonated land mine has been spotted near the site of last week’s explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that wounded three South Korean soldiers, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday, citing military sources.
The South Korean military is investigating the cause of two blasts that occurred last Monday south of the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas. Two soldiers suffered severe injuries, while a third sustained minor injuries.
Investigation under way
A Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said troops reported seeing an object resembling a North Korean wooden-box mine near the blast site.
“We received testimony that what the troops witnessed was similar to a wooden-box land mine,” the official said.
According to the JCS, some witnesses described the object as resembling a wooden-box mine but said it appeared to be made of plastic. Another witness believed it was a different type of mine.
South Korean forces and the UN Command, which oversees the border area, began a joint investigation on Sunday but could not reach the blast site before operations ended at sunset.
The National Forensic Service is analyzing mine fragments and explosive residue collected from the soldiers’ protective equipment.
Possible origin of the mine
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said investigators did not yet have sufficient evidence to identify the type of mine involved.
If the mine is confirmed to be of North Korean origin, investigators will seek to determine whether it was carried south by rain or deliberately planted. Deliberate placement would constitute a violation of the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
North Korean wooden-box mines exploded on the South Korean side of the DMZ in 2015, seriously injuring two soldiers.
