Seoul, Sep 22 — A suspected land mine exploded at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) earlier this week during a route clearance operation over a potential North Korea-created minefield south of the inter-Korean border, South Korea's military said on Tuesday.
The explosion occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the western sector of the DMZ, separating the two Koreas, on Monday, leaving three military officers injured, including one who lost his ankle.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the explosion took place during a military operation to clear a route in the DMZ ahead of an on-site inspection by the United Nations Command (UNC) set for early next week.
The South Korean military earlier said it had identified some terrain changes in some parts south of the MDL and was in consultations with the UNC over the possibility that North Korean troops may have planted land mines, reports Yonhap news agency.
"The site of the explosion was near the MDL," JCS spokesperson Jang Do-young told a press briefing.
"We plan to determine the exact location and cause of the explosion through an on-site inspection, once safety is secured, in coordination with the UNC," he said.
A dozen troops were conducting the route clearance mission using mine detectors at the time of the suspected land mine explosion, Jang explained.
Military authorities said they are investigating the cause of the explosion, leaving "all possibilities open," including the possibility that the North Korean troops buried land mines.
The two officers who sustained serious wounds were wearing protective clothing and demining gear at the time of the incident, the JCS said. They underwent surgery and are in no life-threatening condition.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, US Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson expressed his "deepest sympathies" to the soldiers injured during Monday's DMZ operation.
"On behalf of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and US Forces Korea, I extend my deepest sympathies to the Republic of Korea soldiers injured yesterday during operations in the Demilitarized Zone, and to their families," Brunson wrote. "I wish them a full and speedy recovery."
"The ROK-US Alliance stands with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and we appreciate the sacrifices its soldiers make daily to secure the DMZ and defend the Korean Peninsula," he added.