North Korea denied that it had planted landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), leading to an explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers. The US-led United Nations Command (UNC) determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred, while Seoul vowed to respond and demanded an apology. 

“Recently, the ROK military gangsters committed another provocation against the DPRK, announcing the ‘investigation results’ in connection with the incident of mine explosion that occurred in the southern border area,” said Kim Yo Jong, department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and sister to Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, on Wednesday. 

She continued, “In conclusion, the incident is a clear farce reminiscent of the ‘wooden-box mine incident’ which disturbed the world more than ten years ago, in consideration of the time and method of provocation.”

Kim is referencing a similar event that occurred in 2015, when mines blamed on North Korea injured two South Korean soldiers. Seoul responded by resuming loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea, contributing to an escalation that eventually included an exchange of fire across the DMZ. 

Tensions did not significantly decrease until a diplomatic opening in 2018, beginning with inter-Korean talks and North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics. Trump later met Kim in Singapore that June. 

On Tuesday, South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told a parliamentary committee that the mines had clearly been placed south of the MDL and vowed to “take corresponding measures.”

Kim Yo Jong also warned that North Korea would respond with “immediate and merciless” retaliation if South Korean forces fire on North Korean troops conducting work near the border.

The US-led UNC in Korea said, “Based on the findings of the investigation, UNC determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred.” The statement added, “UNC is addressing the violation through established Armistice mechanisms.”

On Wednesday, Kang Hyun-woo, the director of operations at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, demanded an apology and “responsible measures.”

The injury to the three South Korean soldiers occurred amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been heightened by US, South Korean, and Japanese war games, North Korean missile tests, and Washington and Seoul moving toward cooperation on nuclear-powered submarine technology.