North Korea Landmines Trigger Fresh Border Tensions
North Korea landmines have become the centre of a new dispute between Pyongyang and Seoul after three South Korean personnel were injured in explosions inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on 21 September. South Korea says the blasts occurred on its side of the border and were caused by mines laid by North Korea landmines.
The South Korean military has now demanded an apology from Pyongyang and called for an immediate halt to what it describes as border fortification activities. Seoul has also warned that it will take “corresponding measures” over what it considers a violation of the armistice that ended active fighting in the Korean War.
South Korea said on Tuesday that it was “certain” the explosions were caused by North Korean mines. Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul described the incident as a “clear” violation of the 1953 armistice, which remains the agreement that halted active combat between the two countries.
South Korea Calls for Action Over DMZ Landmine Blasts
The latest dispute comes as South Korea says North Korea has been strengthening its border defences. Seoul believes the mines were placed as part of those efforts and has urged Pyongyang to stop such activities along the frontier.
North Korea, however, has rejected the accusation. Pyongyang described Seoul’s claims as “groundless” and a “farce” that was intended to increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also rejected suggestions that North Korean personnel had crossed the border to plant the mines. In a statement carried by North Korean state media on Wednesday, she accused South Korea of “cooking up” the allegations as part of a “political and military provocation”.
Kim said the claim that North Korea was responsible was a deliberate attempt to shift blame for worsening relations onto Pyongyang. She also warned South Korea to be “prepared for paying price for the farce of their own making.”
1953 Armistice and the Korean Border North Korea landmines
The Demilitarised Zone is a 4km-wide, or 2.5-mile-wide, buffer separating North and South Korea. It contains the Military Demarcation Line, which marks the land border between the two countries.
The 1953 armistice established the DMZ after the Korean War. Although the agreement brought active combat to an end, the area has remained a heavily sensitive zone where occasional clashes and landmine explosions have occurred over the decades.
A similar dispute emerged in 2015 when two South Korean soldiers were seriously injured by landmines while patrolling inside the DMZ. South Korea said North Korean soldiers had secretly planted the mines close to a South Korean guard post, while Pyongyang denied responsibility.
Kim Yo Jong referred to the 2015 incident in her latest statement, arguing that Seoul had used the earlier blast as a pretext for increasing tensions and was now repeating the same approach.
Rising South Korea North Korea Tensions, North Korea landmines
Relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated since the 2015 incident, increasing concerns about the potential for friction when incidents occur along the border. The latest North Korea landmines dispute is unfolding in an environment where communication between the two sides has become more limited.
Christopher Green, a senior consultant with Crisis Group, told the BBC that North Korea had been “wilfully attempting to harden the border [and] eliminate inter-Korean relations”. He said the two countries no longer had the “same low-level communication” they maintained in 2015.
“Accidental escalation on the Korean Peninsula is always just a few steps away, and it’s fewer steps now than it was in 2015,” Green said.
The United Nations Command, which carried out on-site investigations into the explosions alongside the South Korean military, said it would address the alleged violation through the established mechanisms of the 1953 armistice.
The command said it remained committed to maintaining and enforcing the agreement and to carrying out its responsibilities to preserve stability and prevent further escalation on the Korean Peninsula.
