▲ Kwon Dae-won, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announces the final findings of the joint on-site investigation task force regarding the DMZ landmine explosion at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on October 5.
South Korean military authorities have announced the final investigation findings concluding that an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the western front on September 21 was caused by landmines planted by the North Korean military.
The military also carried out an operation to detonate and clear the North Korean landmines.
Military authorities announced the "Final Investigation Results of the JCS Joint On-Site Investigation Task Force Regarding the 25th Division DMZ Landmine Explosion Situation" containing these details at the Ministry of National Defense on Monday afternoon.
During a briefing, Kwon Dae-won, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated, "Based on the results of the joint investigation with the United Nations Command and scientific evidence, we have reached the final conclusion that our service members, who were conducting normal DMZ operations south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), suffered severe injuries due to a plastic anti-personnel landmine installed south of the MDL by North Korea under the pretext of so-called border fortification work."
Vice Chairman Kwon explained that this determination was made by synthesizing assessments from South Korean military authorities and the UNC regarding the blast locations confirmed through the investigation, the type and ownership of the mine, and whether the landmines were intentionally planted.
First, regarding the blast locations determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS), it was confirmed that both the sites of the first and second explosions, as well as an actual North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine discovered at the scene on September 29, were all located south of the MDL.
Vice Chairman Kwon said, "Using GPS, the United Nations Command and the joint intelligence investigation team ultimately confirmed that all three locations were approximately 10 meters south of the MDL, judging this to be a violation of the Armistice Agreement."
Furthermore, first and second compositional analyses conducted by the National Forensic Service on the gear and equipment of the wounded personnel detected trinitrotoluene (TNT), thermosetting resin components, and brown foreign substances, which serve as evidence that the explosive was a North Korean military landmine.
The National Forensic Service delivered these final appraisal results to the military authorities earlier this month.
Along with this, the military concluded that the North Korean mines had been deliberately planted rather than displaced by natural causes.
This conclusion was based on testimonies from service members on site at the time of the incident stating that the mine they witnessed had been buried about 5 to 10 cm deep, as well as the fact that the North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine found at the scene was also buried to a depth of around 3 cm.
Based on these assessments, the military carried out a mine clearance operation in the area surrounding the blast sites at around 12:51 p.m. today.
This marks the first time the South Korean military has conducted a mine clearance operation within the DMZ.
It was confirmed that the operation was conducted in conjunction with a prior notification to North Korea by the UNC and a advance warning broadcast by the South Korean military to comply with the Armistice Agreement and prevent accidental clashes.
An official from the Ministry of National Defense explained that the military intends to take necessary measures in a phased manner.
Among the 18 personnel deployed during the operation at the time, two soldiers with severe injuries and one with minor injuries remain hospitalized for treatment.
The military added that of the 15 discharged personnel, two received additional outpatient treatment, and 13 are being monitored so they can receive medical support at any time.
Military authorities stated, "We strongly urge North Korea, even at this stage, to offer a sincere apology to our service members injured in this landmine explosion and to immediately remove the landmines installed in violation of the Armistice Agreement."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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