"Two Landmines Exploded": Military Analyzes Soldiers' Bodycam Footage

[Anchor]

Interim investigation results have been released regarding the landmine explosion on the western front. It was confirmed that two landmines detonated while 18 service members were conducting an operation to clear a search route. To determine whether the mines were from North Korea, the military is analyzing footage from two body cameras and has sent protective suits and overshoes embedded with fragments to the National Forensic Service.

Defense Correspondent Kim Tae-hoon reports.

[Reporter]

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Wednesday, September 23, that 18 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, including a commanding officer holding the rank of lieutenant colonel, were at the scene of the landmine explosion that occurred in the Demilitarized Zone along the western front on September 21.

The troops were conducting an operation to secure an access route ahead of a planned joint investigation by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command into an area suspected of North Korean landmine placement.

All the soldiers were wearing protective suits and mine overshoes, and the accident occurred as they advanced while operating mine detectors.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, "Two mines exploded several tens of meters away from the suspected mine-laying area," adding, "First, a staff sergeant at the front was injured, followed in succession by the lieutenant colonel who was moving to take safety measures."

The lieutenant colonel and the staff sergeant, who suffered severe injuries, were airlifted to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital via a helicopter hoist operation conducted directly at the DMZ accident site.

Currently, three service members, including the lieutenant colonel and the staff sergeant, remain hospitalized for treatment at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, while the remaining 15 have been discharged.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is conducting the investigation while leaving open the possibility that the devices were "North Korean military landmines."

The JCS official said, "The protective suits and overshoes embedded with shrapnel have been sent to the National Forensic Service to analyze the types and origins of the fragments, and the military is reviewing footage from two body cameras worn by the soldiers."

The JCS explained that landmines washed away and displaced by overflowing streams during the monsoon season could have been buried at the scene, noting that a small stream actually flows near the accident site.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited the Armed Forces Capital Hospital to comfort the injured soldiers and their families, and also visited the 25th Infantry Division to inspect its readiness posture.

Video by Kim Hyeon-sang | Video Editing by Choi Jin-hwa | Graphics by Park Cheon-woong
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.