North Korea denies South Korea's claim it was behind DMZ mine blasts

Kim Yo Jong, powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed South Korea's allegation that Pyongyang was responsible for recent landmine blasts in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), stating that the South Korean claim was "too low and dirty as befitting the tribes of the ROK." One soldier suffered a severe injury, losing a foot, following the Sept 21 explosions.

This incident is one of many landmine events that have heightened tensions between the two Koreas. The South Korean Defence Ministry concluded that North Korean mines were highly suspected of causing the blasts, viewing it as a clear violation of the armistice agreement. South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul announced that the South would take corresponding measures in response.

Kim Yo Jong accused Seoul of fabricating allegations to provoke political and military actions against North Korea. Since 2024, North Korea has intensified its military activities by laying mines and constructing anti-tank barriers along the border. These actions are part of Pyongyang's efforts to permanently seal off the frontier.

The North also destroyed northern sections of inter-Korean roads that were no longer in use during the operation. Kang attributed the blame for the Sept 21 incident to North Korea's border fortification work. In 2015, two South Korean soldiers sustained serious injuries in a landmine explosion on the southern side of the DMZ, with one soldier losing both legs.

The South Korean government concluded that North Korean troops had crossed the Military Demarcation Line to plant the mines, a claim that Pyongyang vehemently denied. This incident led to the resumption of anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts along the border by Seoul.