Joint Chiefs say location and cause to be disclosed after investigation

UN Command field inspection requested two months after terrain changes detected

The western front Demilitarized Zone and the Kaesong Industrial Complex area, as seen from the border region of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]
The western front Demilitarized Zone and the Kaesong Industrial Complex area, as seen from the border region of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]

Three South Korean military officers were injured in what is believed to have been a land mine explosion while conducting a trail-clearing operation in the western front Demilitarized Zone, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, adding that none of the wounded face life-threatening injuries. The Joint Chiefs repeatedly declined to provide key details — including the distance between the blast site and the Military Demarcation Line and when the suspected minefield was first identified — saying the information could only be released after an investigation. Whether the mines were planted by North Korean forces remains the central question.

Joint Chiefs spokesperson Jang Do-yeong said at the Ministry of National Defense's regular briefing Tuesday that two officers were injured Monday in an explosion believed to have been caused by a land mine, at a point south of the MDL in the western front DMZ. "They have undergone surgery at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital and are recovering. Their lives are not in danger," Jang said.

Asked why the initial announcement Monday had cited three injured officers while Tuesday's briefing mentioned two, Jang explained that the two airlifted by helicopter were assessed by medical staff as seriously wounded, while the third, who was transported by road, was determined not to have sustained serious injuries — and so only two were reported Tuesday.

Jang said about 10 personnel were involved in the operation at the time, and that the remaining soldiers were also undergoing thorough medical examinations and health checks.

The Joint Chiefs described the operation as a trail-clearing mission to prepare conditions for a UN Command field inspection. The military had detected terrain changes near the MDL on the western front and requested a UN Command on-site inspection, which had been scheduled for early next week. The personnel encountered the explosion while clearing a trail using mine detectors. Regarding the two seriously wounded officers, Jang said, "Based on what has been confirmed so far, we understand they were properly wearing protective gear, including protective suits and mine-resistant overshoes."

The Joint Chiefs said there were no unusual movements by North Korean forces at the time of the explosion.

The Joint Chiefs also declined to confirm claims circulating inside and outside the military that North Korean forces had planted mines across six locations up to 10 to 15 meters south of the MDL. "That is precisely what we were going to the site to verify," Jang said, adding that while surveillance equipment can provide some confirmation, a joint on-site inspection with UN Command is needed to pinpoint exact locations. Asked why this year's first warning shots were fired on the eastern front in August while all detected terrain changes were on the western front, Jang said, "There have been responses on the western front as well, but I cannot recall the exact number and will check."

Questions about whether the blast occurred between the southern limit line and the MDL, when the terrain changes were first detected, whether there was a single explosion or multiple, and which entity is responsible for collecting and analyzing debris were all met with "I will check" or "That falls under the investigation team's purview and I do not know."

Jang drew a line between operational security and the limits of the ongoing investigation. "This is not a matter of withholding information for operational security reasons — we simply cannot say anything until the investigation results are in," he said. Asked whether it was fair to conclude that the cause was a North Korean land mine and the result was the wounding of soldiers, he said, "We will keep all possibilities open and thoroughly determine the cause."

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul received a briefing on the incident immediately upon arriving at work Tuesday and ordered officials to do everything possible to ensure the wounded soldiers receive proper treatment and make a full recovery. He also instructed them to thoroughly investigate the cause and take all necessary measures.


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