Seoul says DMZ blast was highly likely caused by North Korean mine

South Korea’s military said Monday that a North Korean land mine highly likely caused last week's explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone that injured three officers, and vowed "corresponding measures" if North Korean troops are found to have planted it.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said fragments and other materials found after the Sept. 21 blast in the western section of the DMZ separating the two Koreas pointed to North Korea, as they did not match components typically used in South Korean mines. Instead, investigators found brown-colored material similar to components used in North Korean mines.

“Based on a comprehensive assessment of the field investigation conducted so far, we believe there is a very high possibility that the explosion was caused by a North Korean land mine,” Gen. Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of the JCS, said at a press briefing announcing the preliminary findings after inspecting the site with the US-led United Nations Command.

Still, the military said further investigation is needed to determine whether North Korean troops deliberately planted the mines recently as part of an operation or whether an older mine had drifted or shifted into the area from elsewhere.

Kwon said if the final investigation confirms that South Korean soldiers were injured by a mine planted by North Korean troops, “North Korea bears full responsibility for this incident.”

“The military will take appropriate and corresponding measures,” he said.

The explosion occurred on Sept. 21 in the western part of the DMZ, while a group of South Korean troops was clearing a route ahead of a United Nations Command inspection. Three officers were injured, two of them critically. One lost an ankle.

South Korean troops and the UNC have conducted a joint investigation of the area since Sunday. The military said the final findings will be announced after South Korea and the UNC jointly assess the results of the investigation.