East Asia

South Korea troops among three injured in DMZ blast: Report

Read a summary of this article on FAST.

Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.

Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST

FAST

SEOUL: Three people, including South Korean soldiers, were injured in a suspected mine blast inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), South Korea’s Yonhap TV reported on Monday (Sep 21).

The DMZ, which has divided the peninsula since the 1950 to 1953 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.

It was not yet clear whether the mine was planted by North Korean forces or belonged to the South Korean military, Yonhap TV 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.
 

Source: AFP/rl

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.

Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST

FAST