Suspected landmine blast injures South Korean soldiers in DMZ

Three people, including South Korean soldiers, were injured in a suspected mine blast inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), South Korea’s Yonhap News TV reported on Monday.The DMZ, which has divided the peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, is among the most heavily mined places in the world.“A soldier was seriously injured during an operation in the DMZ involving the 25th Infantry Division,” a military official said, referring to the buffer zone separating the two Koreas.Yonhap TV reported that three soldiers were injured in the incident and were taken to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital.South Korean soldiers search for landmines near the DMZ in 2010. Around 800,000 mines are estimated to be buried around the area. Photo: Yonhap/APIt was not yet clear whether the mine was planted by North Korean forces or belonged to the South Korean military, Yonhap said.Around 800,000 mines are estimated to be buried around the area, according to military data cited by the Yonhap news agency, many dating to the Korean War – although mine laying has continued in recent years.In 2024, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un designated South Korea as his country’s “principal enemy”, Pyongyang’s military spent months laying mines and building anti-tank barriers along the border as part of efforts to permanently seal off the frontier.