South Korea blames North Korean mines for a DMZ blast and demands an apology; Pyongyang calls it a farce

The Demilitarized Zone is a buffer about 4 kilometres wide, created by the 1953 armistice.

The Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, so the two Koreas remain technically at war.

In 2015, landmines on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone badly wounded two South Korean soldiers.

Seoul blamed North Korea for planting the 2015 mines, and Pyongyang denied it.

After the 2015 blasts, the UN Command found that North Korea had violated the armistice.

South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North after the 2015 mine blasts.

North Korea has been laying mines and building barriers along the border since 2024.

South Korea recorded terrain changes near the blast site in September 2025 that it read as North Korean mine-laying.

Three South Korean soldiers were injured in explosions in the western Demilitarized Zone on 21 September.

Two landmines exploded.

The explosions were on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.

The blasts were about 10 metres south of the Military Demarcation Line.

The soldiers were clearing a new route for a joint inspection with the UN Command when the mines exploded.

Investigators cited TNT, brown residue, and a lack of steel fragments as signs the exploded mines were North Korean resin mines rather than South Korean ones.

South Korean mines typically scatter steel fragments and have a lethal radius of about 20 metres or more.

A third, unexploded mine was seen as the soldiers withdrew.

The military says at least four mines were at the site, including two that exploded.

Investigators said the mine found on 29 September was buried, not washed in by rain.

South Korea says it has no record of laying mines at the blast site.

The UN Command said an active North Korean anti-personnel mine was found on the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line.

The UN Command said an armistice violation had occurred.

The UN Command's armistice finding was tied to the mine found on 29 September, not a finished ruling on the 21 September blasts.

The UN Command said it is addressing the violation through established armistice mechanisms.

The UN Command, a US-led force, oversees the armistice and administers the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone.

South Korea demanded that North Korea apologise and stop fortifying the border.

South Korea's military called the incident a clear violation of the armistice.

South Korea said it would take corresponding measures.

Seoul said corresponding measures depend on the investigation confirming the North was responsible.

South Korea said North Korea bears full responsibility for whatever happens next.

Kim Yo Jong said the South has broadcast warnings and fired warning shots at Northern troops fortifying the border.

Kim Yo Jong called the North's border construction a sovereign project, not a military one.

Kim Yo Jong warned of immediate retaliation if South Korea fires live rounds, not just warning shots, at Northern border troops.

The additional North Korean mine was found on 29 September.