North Korea calls DMZ mine blast a ‘farce,’ vows ‘powerful’ response if border is violated

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook stated on Wednesday that South Korea must continue to request an apology from North Korea for a recent land mine explosion that severely injured a South Korean soldier near the heavily fortified border between the countries. Investigations have identified land mines deliberately placed by North Korea on the South's side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) as the cause of the September 21 incident, which left three South Korean soldiers wounded, two critically.

One of the seriously injured, a lieutenant colonel, had one of his ankles blown off in the blast. Despite South Korea's insistence on seeking an apology from North Korea, the North has denied any responsibility, with Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong-un, accusing Seoul of fabricating evidence and threatening "merciless" retaliation if Seoul takes any retaliatory actions.

The prime minister expressed her belief that there should indeed be an official apology from North Korea now that it has been clearly established that the country was responsible for the incident.