North Korean mines likely caused DMZ blasts that injured 3 soldiers, South’s military says

Two landmines that exploded in the Demilitarized Zone last week and injured three South Korean soldiers likely belonged to North Korea, according to preliminary findings from a joint investigation.

The mines detonated Sept. 21 about 33 feet south of the Military Demarcation Line, Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a press briefing Monday night.

If the investigation ultimately concludes North Korea was responsible, the South’s military will take “appropriate and corresponding measures,” Kwon said, according to a transcript of the briefing.

United Nations Command and the South Korean military began a joint investigation Sunday at the blast site, Kwon said. It is near an area where South Korea found evidence in September 2025 that North Korean troops may have planted mines.

Kwon confirmed that two mines exploded as members of the South Korean army’s 25th Infantry Division were clearing a new search route for an investigation of terrain changes near the border.

A third, unexploded mine found at the site may also have been planted there, Kwon said.

A Ministry of National Defense spokesman told reporters in a text message Tuesday that investigators had discovered a fourth mine near the blast site. It differed from the third, unexploded device, the message said.

No additional details were disclosed. Some South Korean government officials must speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

Helicopters evacuated 18 service members involved in the operation, including two who were seriously injured and one who suffered minor injuries, to Armed Forces Capital Hospital near Seoul. Fifteen have since been discharged, Kwon said.

One soldier suffered a severe injury to his left ankle, while another sustained shrapnel wounds to his face and other parts of his body, he said.

Forensic analysis of equipment worn by the injured soldiers found brown foreign substances consistent with material used in North Korean mines, Kwon said.

South Korea’s military has no record of laying mines where the blasts occurred, he added.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for a thorough investigation during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and said the government would take necessary measures based on the final findings, Yonhap News Agency reported.

U.N. Command spokeswoman Choi Min-jung told Stars and Stripes by email Tuesday that the command has “no further comment while the incident remains under investigation.”