South Korea considers steps to force North Korea apology for DMZ mine blast

What the report says

South Korea is considering additional measures to press North Korea for an apology after a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone wounded three South Korean soldiers, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing South Korea’s Defence Ministry. A joint South Korea-United Nations investigation said two mines that detonated in the DMZ last month were placed by North Korean forces about a year earlier, prompting Seoul to seek an official response from Pyongyang.

Defence Ministry spokeswoman Chung Bin-na said South Korea was not ruling out further steps, but did not specify what those might be. Seoul has also urged North Korea to remove any other mines on the southern side of the military demarcation line, while continuing mine-clearing work in the area. The United States-led UN Command said the mine placement violated the 1953 armistice agreement.

North Korea has denied responsibility, and Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed Seoul’s apology demand. South Korea’s military said it would continue clearing operations if remaining explosives are not removed. The dispute is unfolding alongside broader tensions over the exact location of the border in the heavily fortified frontier that has divided the peninsula since the Korean War. Al Jazeera also reported that Seoul has proposed a joint resurvey of the boundary, a move Pyongyang rejected.