Kang Shincheol on North Korean Landmines: "Low Possibility of Displacement... Presumed Related to Border Fortification"

Defense Minister Shin Chul Kang stated on the 29th that the possibility of North Korean landmines being lost or displaced after the recent explosion incident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is "low," adding, "It is presumed that (the North Korean military) planted them as part of efforts to fortify the border."

Kang Sinchul, Minister of National Defense, appeared at the 'DMZ Mine Explosion Incident Briefing' held at the National Assembly on the 29th and provided a status report. 2026.09.29 Photo by Yoon Dongju

Minister Kang made this statement while attending a briefing at the National Assembly’s Defense Committee on the suspected DMZ landmine explosion incident held that afternoon. He was responding to a question from Assemblyman Yoo Yongwon of the People Power Party, who asked, "Shouldn't we view this as the North Korean military having deliberately planted the landmines?"

Earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that they had identified an additional North Korean resin-anti-personnel landmine about one meter away from the secondary explosion site during their investigation that day. As a result, a total of four landmines have now been confirmed at the scene: two that exploded at the time of the incident and two others, including one that military personnel witnessed onsite.

Assemblyman Yoo pointed out that "four landmines were clustered in an area about four meters in diameter. This suggests that the landmines were not displaced by accident, but rather newly planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), and it is highly likely that the incident occurred while our personnel were conducting a search in that area."

Minister Kang added, however, that "(During the first explosion, it was reported that) the landmine detected by the staff sergeant was covered by soil and roots." He further explained, "While it appears that North Korea planted these mines as part of border fortification work, current assessments suggest they were placed well before the row of landmines that was installed in September last year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.