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Seoul - Three individuals, comprising South Korean soldiers, sustained injuries following a suspected mine explosion within the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), as reported by South Korea's Yonhap TV on September 21. The DMZ, a buffer separating the Korean Peninsula since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, is renowned for its extensive minefields, ranking among the world's most heavily mined regions.

During a military operation involving the 25th Infantry Division, a soldier suffered serious injuries, according to a military official. Three soldiers were injured overall and were transported to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. However, it remains unclear whether the mine was planted by North Korean forces or is a South Korean military ordnance, stated Yonhap TV.

The exact number of mines scattered across the DMZ is approximately 800,000, as per military data cited by Yonhap News Agency. Many of these mines originated from the Korean War era, though new mine-laying activities have continued recently, notably in 2024 following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's declaration of South Korea as his country's principal adversary.

In response to this, Pyongyang intensified its military activities, constructing anti-tank barriers and laying mines along the border over several months in an effort to permanently isolate the frontier.