[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that North Korean troops frequently approached the western front area where a recent landmine explosion occurred, prompting the South Korean military to drive them away with warning shots on several occasions since about a year ago. As a result, the South Korean military appears to have estimated that the landmine was planted approximately one year ago.

Defense Correspondent Kim Tae-hoon reports.

[Reporter]

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

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

It does not look like an overgrown jungle where people have never walked.

A key official from the Ministry of National Defense told SBS, "The explosion area is a place where North Korean troops have frequently appeared since about a year ago."

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

The military estimates that the landmine that detonated 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, so our military fired warning shots multiple times."

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

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

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 Korean soldiers belatedly realized they had mistakenly moved south and hurriedly scrambled back.

In particular, this official said, "The explosion occurred in an area frequently visited by North Korean troops, and based on the initial statements of the injured regarding the shape of the fragments and how they scattered, we gave significant weight from the beginning to the possibility of a North Korean landmine explosion."

However, the official added that due to the practical reality that the injured soldiers could not immediately guide personnel to the site, the on-site investigation to confirm whether it was a North Korean landmine was somewhat delayed.

Reported by Kim Hyun-sang | Video by Jeong Seong-hoon | Graphics by Yang Ki-tae