South Korea prepares response to force North Korean apology over DMZ blast

South Korea is preparing a response to press North Korea into apologising for a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that seriously wounded two of its soldiers, a Defence Ministry Spokesperson has said.

The Spokesperson, Chung Bin-na, didn’t say what measures Seoul would take. She said South Korea also wanted Pyongyang to come to the table to discuss the misalignment of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which bisects the DMZ.

The blast on 21 September wounded three South Korean troops, two of them seriously. They were on a reconnaissance mission inside the four kilometre wide zone.

Investigation blamed North Korean mine 

South Korea said North Korean mines caused the explosion, citing a joint investigation with the United Nations Command. During that investigation, the team found another active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the MDL. The UN Command, which oversees the Korean War armistice, said the incident was a violation of the agreement.

Chung said Pyongyang must remove the mines south of the line. She acknowledged, however, that the two Koreas differ over exactly where it runs, a factor she said contributes to tension. Some sections of the 200 kilometre MDL, marked by 1,900 markers, have become hard to identify after decades of limited access.

• North Korea rejects Seoul’s landmine claims as ‘farce’

South Korea vows 'corresponding measures' 

Seoul’s Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said last week that North Korea bore responsibility and that South Koreal would take “corresponding measures”.

North Korea has rejected the accusations. On Friday, the country’s state news agency KCNA reported that Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed Seoul’s accusations as groundless and said Pyongyang had not deliberately planted mines in the border zone. She had earlier accused South Korea of fabricating its findings and warned of “immediate and merciless” retaliation if North Korean troops were fired upon. She also called the apology demand “despicable”.

The remarks could dampen hopes of improved relations, as South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has urged Pyongyang to return to dialogue. 

Since 2024, when Kim Jong Un designated South Korea his country's “principal enemy,” North Korean forces have laid mines and built anti-tank barriers along the frontier in an effort to seal it off permanently.

Read more from the Korean Peninsula:

• Ukraine moves to ease tensions with South Korea over North Korean POWs
• 78th Armed Forces Day: South Korea’s Lee urges North Korea to resume dialogue

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