SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has denied responsibility for a land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers, accusing Seoul of fabricating evidence as tensions rise along one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders.
The explosion occurred on September 21 while South Korean troops were conducting a search operation in the western section of the DMZ, just south of the Military Demarcation Line. Two of the soldiers were seriously injured.
South Korea’s military said an investigation conducted with the United Nations Command found that North Korean mines were highly likely to have caused the blast. Investigators later discovered another active North Korean anti personnel mine south of the border line near the explosion site.
The United Nations Command said the findings amounted to a violation of the 1953 armistice agreement that halted fighting in the Korean War.
North Korea strongly rejected the accusations.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea of staging what she described as a fabricated incident and said North Korean troops had not crossed the border.
She also warned that North Korean forces would retaliate if South Korean troops opened fire on soldiers carrying out border construction and fortification work.
South Korea responded by demanding an apology and calling on Pyongyang to immediately stop military activities that Seoul says are increasing tensions along the border.
The South Korean military said North Korea bears responsibility for the incident and warned that appropriate measures could follow, although officials have not publicly detailed what those actions might involve.
The incident has fueled concern among South Koreans already accustomed to periods of heightened military tension with the North. Public discussion has focused on the safety of soldiers stationed near the DMZ and fears that even a small border incident could quickly escalate between the two heavily armed neighbors.
The dispute also comes at a difficult moment for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, whose government has been seeking ways to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang and reduce tensions. Critics of the government have questioned whether reconciliation efforts can continue while incidents along the border remain unresolved.
North Korea has been strengthening its southern border in recent years, building barriers, installing defenses and laying additional mines as relations with Seoul deteriorated.
The latest confrontation has revived memories of a similar incident in August 2015, when two South Korean soldiers were badly injured by land mines inside the DMZ.
South Korea accused North Korea of deliberately planting the devices, prompting Seoul to restart loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border. North Korea responded with threats and artillery fire, bringing the two sides close to a broader military confrontation before emergency negotiations eased the crisis.
The DMZ has divided the Korean Peninsula since the end of the 1950 to 1953 Korean War. The conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, meaning North and South Korea technically remain at war.
Millions of mines are believed to remain in and around the border zone, including devices left from earlier decades and newer mines placed during periods of heightened tension.
The latest explosion has again highlighted how quickly an incident in the DMZ can become a wider political and military dispute, particularly as North Korea continues to expand its weapons programs and harden its position toward Seoul.
For now, both sides remain locked in conflicting accounts of what happened, with South Korea and the United Nations Command pointing to physical evidence at the blast site while Pyongyang continues to deny responsibility.
