Defense Minister Kang says "the responsibility lies with North Korea" for the DMZ blast and promises "corresponding measures"
Kang Shin-chulMinister of National Defense, answering lawmakers at a plenary session of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told the National Assembly's National Defense Committee on September 29, 2026 that the September 21 explosion was clearly an armistice violation, that responsibility lies with North Korea, and that the ministry would take corresponding measures, without saying what they would be. Asked whether he was certain the cause was North Korea-planted mines, he answered yes, according to Yonhap. He said the mine found that day had been buried and, asked whether it was deliberately planted by North Korea, said it is presumed to be connected to Pyongyang's border reinforcement work.
Responding to
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on September 28, 2026 that North Korean land mines were highly likely the cause of the two explosions that wounded three South Korean soldiers south of the Military Demarcation Line on September 21, and said on September 30 that South Korean soldiers were seriously injured by North Korean landmines while conducting search operations south of that line.
“It is clearly a violation of the armistice agreement, and the responsibility lies with North Korea, so we will take corresponding measures”
Reporting
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did North Korea plant the antipersonnel mines that injured three South Korean soldiers in the DMZ on September 21, 2026?
On September 21, 2026, two explosions in the western Demilitarized Zone wounded three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously, as they cleared a route for a planned UN Command inspection. South Korea's military places the blasts about 10 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on September 28 that North Korean mines were highly likely the cause, and on September 30 it demanded an apology from North Korea. Also on September 30, the UN Command said its joint investigation with South Korea's military identified an active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the MDL and determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred. The command did not say which side committed the violation. Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official, rejected the South Korean findings as groundless and said North Korean soldiers have never crossed the border. The joint investigation had not issued final results as of September 30, 2026. The disputed claim is whether North Korean forces planted the mines that exploded.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Yonhap report of September 29, 2026 on Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul's answers to lawmakers at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee about the mine found that day and the cause of the September 21 blasts.
Reporting
About this source
Korea Herald report of September 29, 2026 on the National Defense Committee session: the mine found that day, Kang Shin-chul's comments on when it may have been laid, and opposition questions about the timing of the investigation. It also reports President Lee Jae Myung's Cabinet remarks that day.
Reporting
About this source
Stars and Stripes report of September 30, 2026 with an emailed answer from UN Command spokeswoman In-kyeong Yun. The newspaper reports that the command's armistice finding applies only to the mine found on September 29.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The session came a day after the Joint Chiefs said North Korean mines were highly likely the cause. Earlier on September 29 a joint inspection with the UN Command had found another mine near the blast site that the Joint Chiefs and the UN Command identified as North Korean, and Kang said at least four mines were believed to have been placed at or near it. On September 28 Kang had said the type of mine could not be stated with certainty, and on September 22 he had said the military could not yet confirm whether the suspected minefield, the patrol route and the explosion site matched.
After the quotation
Kang also told the committee that the chance the mine was swept there was very low because multiple mines were placed 1 to 2 meters apart. Korea Herald reported that he cautioned against concluding the mine had been planted recently: soil and roots over one of the mines suggested it had remained underground for some time and could predate the North Korean mine-laying activity detected in September 2025. Yonhap reported that he reiterated a pledge to take corresponding measures if the explosion is confirmed to have been caused by mines planted by North Korean troops. The English wording is Yonhap's rendering of Kang's Korean remarks.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Kang said the explosion was clearly an armistice violation and that responsibility lies with North Korea, and he answered yes when asked whether he was certain North Korea-planted mines caused it. That accepts the attribution and criticizes the conduct. His pledge of corresponding measures was framed as applying if the cause is confirmed, but his answer on the cause was unqualified, so we labeled it Condemned. His remarks on how long the mine had been underground concern timing, not who planted it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseDemocratic Party leader Kim Min-seok says the DMZ explosion "has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines" south of the MDL
“The DMZ explosion has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line.”Read statement
Kim Yo Jong says North Korean soldiers "have never crossed the border" and that the crossing claim is meant to shift responsibility
“The "crossing the border" of our soldiers touted by the ROK military is a deliberate and planned strained assertion to shift the responsibility for escalating tension on to the DPRK. Clearly speaking, our soldiers have never crossed the border. This is a clear cavil and a provocation. The ROK military should think first of all about what the world will say about its inability to distinguish its own land and other's land, failing to properly distinguish the boundary which can be confirmed by the naked eye.”Read statement
Kim Yo Jong says the mine incident is "a clear farce" and South Korea is "cooking up the groundless results"
“In conclusion, the incident is a clear farce reminiscent of the "wooden-box mine incident" which disturbed the world more than ten years ago, in consideration of the time and method of provocation. At that time the puppet forces forcibly linked the "mine explosion incident" that occurred on the western border with the DPRK and continuously escalated the tension under the pretext of it. What should not be overlooked is the fact that the armed gangsters of the ROK are now cooking up the groundless results and "justifying their conduct" for political and military provocation against the DPRK, openly talking about "reasonable and corresponding enforcement of measures". How can we sit and watch their despicable act of rashly doubting anyone after exploding a mine of doubtful provenance and talking about the breach of the Armistice Agreement.”Read statement