North Korean land mines injured ROK Soldiers in DMZ, officials say

FORUM Staff

Three Republic of Korea (ROK) Army Soldiers were injured by North Korean land mines in the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), ROK leaders said.

ROK Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said the September 2026 incident violated the Korean War armistice. “The responsibility lies with North Korea, so we will take corresponding measures,” he said.

The United Nations Command, the United States-led force that upholds the armistice, also said North Korea had violated the agreement that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Two ROK Soldiers sustained severe wounds, investigators said. They were part of an 18-member reconnaissance team deployed to establish a DMZ patrol route to enable ROK and U.N. Command monitoring. The mines were in a seldom traversed area in the western DMZ that ROK leaders suspect was disturbed in 2025, perhaps by the installation of explosive devices.

“Our military strongly urges North Korea to offer a sincere apology to our injured Soldiers and immediately remove the mines that it installed in violation of an armistice agreement,” said Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of the ROK’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The mines were positioned on the ROK side of the border within the heavily fortified DMZ, investigators said. The zone is 4 kilometers wide and 248 kilometers long, generally stretching diagonally across the peninsula.

The ROK military said North Korean troops violated the DMZ 17 times in 2025 and 50 times so far in 2026 during border fortification work, the AP reported. Kwon said ROK personnel removed a North Korean minefield around the blast site in early October 2026 and will remove others south of the border unless Pyongyang eliminates them.

The DMZ has been a focal point of simmering tensions between the nations since the war, which killed at least 2.5 million people, mostly civilians. In 2015, North Korean mines injured ROK troops, sparking threats and demonstrations before lengthy talks eased tensions.

Relations between the nations have worsened in recent years as North Korea, defying international sanctions, acquired weapons including nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles. The ROK, which does not have nuclear weapons, is among the nations, including its longtime ally the U.S., that have called for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has ignored repeated attempts at negotiation while stepping up its uncompromising rhetoric, proclaiming efforts to reunite the peninsula as futile. The recent mine explosions came as the ROK advocated for a diplomatic solution to the impasse.

ROK authorities found an unexploded mine near the two blast sites. Kang said the device is “presumed to be linked to Pyongyang’s border reinforcement work,” according to the Yonhap news service.

The first mine exploded under a Soldier as the reconnaissance team prepared to leave the densely vegetated area and the second as troops responded to their wounded comrade.

“We strongly demand an apology and responsible measures from the North,” Kang said. “We make it explicitly clear that North Korea bears full responsibility for any future consequences that may arise.”