Suspected Landmine Explodes During DMZ Operation, Injuring 3 Officers

An accident suspected to be a landmine explosion occurred this morning during a search operation in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at a frontline unit of the Army's 25th Infantry Division, which oversees the western front.

An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated, "Three South Korean military officers conducting operations south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the DMZ on the western front were injured by an unidentified explosion."

"Two injured officers were evacuated via emergency helicopter to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital and are receiving treatment," the official added, explaining, "The service members who participated in the operation, including one other injured officer, will also be transported to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital for detailed examinations and health checks."

Military authorities stated that they plan to investigate the cause of the unidentified explosion, with circumstances suggesting the possibility that it was caused by a landmine detonation.

However, it has not been confirmed whether the explosion was caused by a mine planted by the North Korean military or by the South Korean military.

Possibilities being raised include the detonation of an unidentified mine during an operation to clear a search route in the DMZ, as well as the explosion of a landmine washed downstream from North Korea due to torrential rains.

Since declaring the "two hostile states" stance, North Korea has been carrying out work to "fortify the border," such as laying tactical roads and planting landmines near the MDL, leading some to cautiously raise the possibility that a mine laid by North Korea may have exploded.

In particular, circumstances have also been identified suggesting that North Korea may have laid mines across the MDL into southern territory due to discrepancies between the two Koreas regarding the MDL reference line.

Earlier, the JCS stated that it had recently identified terrain changes in parts of the southern side of the DMZ and is consulting with the United Nations Command regarding the possibility that North Korean troops planted mines there.

This is the first landmine explosion incident in the DMZ in about 10 months, since November 20, 2025.

At that time, an explosion also occurred in the DMZ on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in which a staff sergeant in his 20s conducting a mine detection mission suffered injuries suspected to be a fractured ankle.

The most recent landmine explosion caused by a North Korean provocation was the so-called "wooden-box mine" incident on August 4, 2015.

At that time, North Korean troops crossed 440 meters south of the MDL and planted wooden-box mines at a gate in an advance fence near a South Korean guard post, and when the mines detonated, Staff Sergeant Ha Jae-heon lost both legs and Staff Sergeant Kim Jungwon lost his right leg.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.