South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said North Korean anti-personnel mines caused the explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on September 21, in which two South Korean soldiers were injured, News.bg reports.
In front of a parliamentary committee, Kang indicated that the mines were likely planted by North Korea as part of border reinforcement activities in the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) area. He said Pyongyang was responsible for the incident and Seoul had options for a phased response, without disclosing specific measures.
The South Korean military command said it had discovered an additional North Korean tar anti-personnel mine near the site of the explosion, in collaboration with the UN command. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kwon Dae-won said the mines did not appear to have moved to the site of the explosion, and the UN command had determined that the discovered mines were clearly south of the LDK.
Seoul intends to seek direct contact with Pyongyang to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident. "We will strongly urge them to sit down at the negotiating table so that we can establish the facts together," Kang said.
The incident comes as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has sought to resume dialogue with North Korea. Pyongyang, however, has labeled South Korea a hostile state and abandoned its long-standing policy of peaceful reunification.
According to Cho Han-beom of the Korea Institute for National Unification, the incident could complicate Lee's efforts to improve relations with North Korea, but Seoul is not expected to abandon attempts at dialogue.
North Korea has not yet commented on the allegations.