[Anchor]

We now turn to the landmine explosion on the western front. It has been confirmed that North Korean soldiers had frequently come down to the area where the incident occurred starting about a year ago, and the South Korean military had fired warning shots to drive them away on several occasions. This appears to be why our military estimated that the landmine was laid around a year ago.

Defense correspondent Kim Tae-hoon reports.

[Reporter]

This is a photo of the scene of the landmine explosion on the western front, released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on September 28.

Around the blast crater marked with a circle, grass has grown to about the height of an adult man's calf.

It does not look like an untouched, jungle-like area where humans have never set foot.

A key defense ministry official told SBS, "The explosion area is a place where North Korean troops have frequently appeared since about a year ago."

This means it is an area where North Korea carried out certain operations as part of its "border fortification."

The military estimates that the landmine that exploded this time was also laid during fortification operations that began about a year ago.

The official added, "North Korean troops often crossed the Military Demarcation Line into the area, and our military fired warning shots multiple times."

In particular, the area where the landmine explosion occurred is known to be a spot where the lines recognized as the Military Demarcation Line differ slightly among the South Korean military, the North Korean military, and the United Nations Command.

Another defense ministry official stated, "It is a difficult place to demarcate the boundary because it runs along a river and has many curves," adding, "Even North Korean troops are confused about whether they are south or north of the Military Demarcation Line."

According to the official, when the South Korean military fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers who approached believing they were north of the Military Demarcation Line, the North Koreans belatedly realized their mistake, panicked, and hurried back.

In particular, this official said, "The explosion occurred in a place frequently accessed by North Korean troops, and based on the initial statements from the injured regarding the shape of the fragments and the trajectory of the shrapnel, we gave significant weight from the beginning to the possibility of a North Korean landmine explosion."

However, the official added that the start of the on-site investigation to confirm it was a North Korean landmine was somewhat delayed due to the practical reality that the wounded soldiers could not immediately guide investigators through the site.

Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Jung Sung-hoon | Graphics by Yang Ki-tae