Military says M14 mine overshoes hard to penetrate; National Forensic Service examination under way

Explosions occurred dozens of meters from suspected North Korean minefield

A Surion helicopter moves above the southern limit line of the demilitarized zone on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. Army soldiers were seriously wounded in what is believed to have been a mine explosion in the nearby DMZ, and military authorities are investigating the exact cause of the incident. [Yonhap]
A Surion helicopter moves above the southern limit line of the demilitarized zone on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. Army soldiers were seriously wounded in what is believed to have been a mine explosion in the nearby DMZ, and military authorities are investigating the exact cause of the incident. [Yonhap]

There were two separate explosions in the demilitarized zone on the western front, the military said Wednesday. A combat engineer sergeant leading a patrol route-clearing operation was wounded in the first blast, and the battalion commander was injured in a second explosion while moving to assist him.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff briefed reporters at the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, sharing preliminary findings based on initial statements from personnel at the scene.

The route-clearing operation was launched on the morning of the incident after a division-level safety assessment. A team of 18 — 15 officers and noncommissioned officers and three enlisted soldiers — was organized into mine-clearing, brush-cutting and security elements. Rather than following an existing patrol route, the team was advancing toward the MDL using only coordinates to open a new path. The operation was considered high-difficulty, requiring repeated cycles of cutting waist-high brush and clearing mines, and the battalion commander went to the scene personally to oversee it.

The first explosion occurred near the lead engineer sergeant, who was wearing full protective gear including a face-covering suit. A JCS official said on-site accounts indicated that when the order was given to turn back, the sergeant — who had been at the front of the single-file formation — would have become the rear. "The explosion happened near the sergeant, and the battalion commander looked back and then another one went off — that is what witnesses at the scene said," the official said, adding that whether the commander had fully turned around at that moment still needed to be confirmed.

The second explosion occurred as the battalion commander moved to assist the wounded sergeant. Both soldiers were wearing all required protective equipment — bulletproof vests, mine-resistant boots and mine overshoes. "They were operating at a safe distance, and the battalion commander moved to render aid — he was not walking right next to the sergeant," the JCS official said. Asked why the two soldiers sustained different levels of injury, the official said it "could vary depending on the point of contact and cannot be stated definitively."

On the fact that serious injuries requiring surgery occurred despite full protective gear being worn, the JCS official acknowledged that "it is true that the M14 ankle mine cannot deliver sufficient force when overshoes are worn." However, the official stressed that "we cannot make a definitive statement at this stage, as we must also look at the forensic results, the joint on-site investigation findings, and any possibility of enemy action."

The military in effect acknowledged that South Korean M14 anti-personnel mines alone would be unlikely to cause injuries of this severity to soldiers wearing mine overshoes, and commissioned the National Forensic Service to examine the explosive material to determine whether it was of friendly or enemy origin.

"A preliminary examination should be possible next week, with additional results to follow," the JCS official said. On whether explosive fragments were recovered and whether the casing was wood or plastic, the official said details were "limited at this stage due to the ongoing investigation and detailed analysis." The final investigation will involve the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission and counterintelligence personnel, and will seek to determine who planted the mines and whether the placement was intentional.

Asked whether two consecutive blasts made deliberate planting more likely than a drifted mine, the JCS official said, "It could have been a planted mine, or sediment could have washed down and overlapped." The official added that "the sound of the explosion was heard once, but we still do not know how many mines detonated."

The explosion site, the evacuation point and the location where changes to North Korean terrain were identified have all been confirmed as separate locations. If the area suspected of North Korean mine-laying is near the MDL, the explosions occurred to the south of it — dozens of meters from the suspected planting area.

On the distance to the MDL, the official said it was difficult to give a precise figure "due to GPS margin of error," and maintained the description of the area as a proximity zone.

The accident site is traversed by a small meandering stream and includes areas of steep gradient. "There is a possibility that mines drifted along the stream," the JCS official said, adding that "whether the water level rose this year or last year — all of that remains open." The official also said the area where terrain changes were suspected was in a surveillance blind spot and had been confirmed using satellites and other monitoring equipment.

Two members of the operation were wearing body cameras, but the explosions were not captured on footage. "Only brush was recorded, and we are continuing to review the footage," the JCS official said. Whether the explosion sounds were captured in audio had "not yet been confirmed," the official added.

North Korea was notified and a nearby guard post broadcast was made before helicopters were deployed. "We notified them more than once that a helicopter would be entering, and there were no unusual movements by North Korean forces," the JCS official said, adding that coordination with the UN Command allowed the approval process to move faster than usual and that clearance was granted immediately.

Safety measures identified as necessary include widening and re-clearing the patrol route and conducting rehearsals for investigators unfamiliar with DMZ operations. "Because it is a close-proximity area where the enemy is present, even the date of entry is part of the safety measures," the JCS official said, asking for understanding that "speed and urgency can themselves become a safety issue for our soldiers." Post-traumatic stress disorder support is also being provided in parallel for personnel who may be called upon to guide investigators at the scene.

A planned UN Command on-site inspection of the suspected minefield area, originally scheduled for early next week, has been postponed. The military said it would review the plan after completing an on-site check of the incident location.

The current casualty count stands at two seriously wounded and one lightly wounded. The two seriously injured soldiers have completed surgery and are recovering, while the one lightly injured soldier remains hospitalized. Fifteen others who underwent detailed medical examinations were discharged Tuesday and Wednesday, with those requiring further care continuing to receive treatment.


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