"Identity of Exploded Landmine" Confirmed... Removal Operation Carried Out

[Anchor]

The military has reached a final conclusion that the landmine that exploded about two weeks ago just south of the Military Demarcation Line on the western front was planted by North Korean soldiers who crossed over about a year ago. The military stated that yesterday (October 5) during the day, it cleared North Korean landmines in this area and will continue taking necessary measures going forward.

Kim Ayeong reports with today's top story.

[Reporter]

This is a resin antipersonnel landmine disclosed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a type of North Korean mine previously found in the Imjin River area.

Made of brown plastic material, it has a grid pattern.

The JCS stated that during the final on-site investigation on September 29, an identical resin antipersonnel mine to the one found near the Imjin River was identified 1 to 2 meters away from the blast crater in the Demilitarized Zone on the western front.

The JCS also explained that verification by the National Forensic Service confirmed that fragments and TNT components, as well as colors recovered from the scene, the wounded soldiers, and various equipment, were identical to the mine found in the Imjin River.

[Kwon Dae-won / Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "TNT, a brown foreign substance, and thermosetting resin components were detected, confirming it to be a North Korean resin antipersonnel landmine. To ensure greater precision, we compared fragments extracted from the wounded personnel with a North Korean resin antipersonnel landmine previously recovered from the Imjin River, and confirmed they were identical..."]

The JCS emphasized that North Korean troops had deliberately buried the resin antipersonnel mine at a depth of about 3 centimeters at a point 10 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line.

It added that the United Nations Command shares the same view.

The South Korean military and the UNC estimated the planting time to be around a year ago, reaching a final determination that North Korea laid the mines south of the Military Demarcation Line as part of its so-called border fortification project.

The JCS stated that at around 12:51 p.m. yesterday, it carried out an operation to detonate and remove North Korean mines planted south of the MDL, adding that it will take necessary measures step by step going forward.

[Yang Jin-hyeok / Director of Operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff: "As an effective measure following the injuries suffered by our military personnel, this was an operation to remove North Korean landmines that the UN Command confirmed were in the area south of the MDL."]

The JCS urged North Korea to offer a sincere apology even now to the South Korean soldiers injured in the mine explosion, and to immediately remove the landmines laid in violation of the Armistice Agreement.

(Video by Cho Chang-hyun | Video Editing by Kim Jun-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.