2015 DMZ land mine crisis echoes in latest blast

The recent land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has sparked comparisons to a similar incident in 2015, which brought the two Koreas close to armed confrontation before ultimately leading to a rare agreement and a brief resumption of dialogue. In both instances, South Korean military personnel were seriously injured by mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) near Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with Seoul attributing the blasts to North Korea.

The location of the mines, which were on South Korea’s side of the DMZ, suggests a potential violation of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. The 2015 incident, which occurred on August 4th and involved an estimated three wooden-box mines detonating in two explosions, left two South Korean noncommissioned officers severely injured, with one losing both legs and the other losing part of one leg.

This year, at least four mines are believed to have been at or near the site, with two explosions occurring.

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