South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that the September 21 blast in the western DMZ was caused by North Korean plastic anti-personnel mines laid south of the Military Demarcation Line. The military said it removed the minefield linked to the incident on October 5.
South Korean and United Nations Command teams conducted a joint field investigation from September 26 to 29, and the final assessment also drew on National Forensic Service analysis received on October 2. The three confirmed mine or blast sites were about 10 meters south of the MDL.
Mine removal on October 5
The military said the minefield south of the MDL that caused the incident was removed at about 12:51 p.m. KST on October 5. It said removal operations would continue if North Korea does not voluntarily clear other mines it placed south of the line.
What comes next
The announcement is the military’s final investigative finding, not an initial estimate. The scope of further mine-clearing and any additional military response have not been officially announced.
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