JCS operations chief Kang Hyun-woo calls the blast "a blatant violation of the Armistice Agreement" and demands an apology from North Korea
Kang Hyun-wooChief director of operations at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, reading the military's statement at a press briefing at the Ministry of National Defense
Reading the Joint Chiefs of Staff's statement at a press briefing on September 30, 2026, Lt. Gen. Kang Hyun-woo, the JCS chief director of operations, said the situation was "a blatant violation of the Armistice Agreement" that undermines the spirit of inter-Korean agreements and must be halted immediately. He demanded an apology and responsible measures from North Korea and said North Korea bears full responsibility for any future consequences. Yonhap reported that the JCS said the blast was caused by mines planted by the North.
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.
“This constitutes a blatant violation of the Armistice Agreement and undermines the spirit of existing inter-Korean agreements and must be halted immediately ... We strongly demand an apology and responsible measures from the North ... We make it explicitly clear that North Korea bears full responsibility for any future consequences that may arise”
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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
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About this source
Yonhap report of September 30, 2026 on the Joint Chiefs' statement read by Lt. Gen. Kang Hyun-woo, the UN Command's emailed statement and North Korea's denial, with the Joint Chiefs' evidence summary and background on the 2015 blasts. The English quotations are Yonhap's rendering of Kang's Korean remarks.
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About this source
Al Jazeera's copy of an AFP and AP report of September 30, 2026 quoting Kang Hyun-woo, Kim Yo Jong and the UN Command. Its English rendering of Kang's remarks differs from Yonhap's.
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About this source
Reuters report of September 30, 2026 on Kim Yo Jong's statement, the UN Command's finding and the Joint Chiefs' demand for an apology. The link is ThePrint's copy of the Reuters text.
Before the quotation
Kang spoke at the defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan hours after Kim Yo Jong's statement was published by KCNA. Yonhap described it as the South Korean military's first official statement directed at North Korea over the blast. The UN Command issued its own statement the same day. The English wording is Yonhap's rendering of Kang's Korean remarks.
After the quotation
Kang also urged North Korea to immediately cease its border-hardening activities. Other outlets render the statement differently in English: Al Jazeera, citing AFP and AP, quotes "This is a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement," and Reuters quotes "All responsibility for any future situation lies entirely with North Korea." Yonhap reported that the military and the UN Command were expected to announce final findings after additional analyses.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Kang called the situation "a blatant violation of the Armistice Agreement" that must be halted, and in the same briefing said, "We strongly demand an apology and responsible measures from the North" and "North Korea bears full responsibility for any future consequences that may arise." That attributes the mines to North Korea and criticizes the conduct, so we labeled it Condemned. The JCS had not yet issued a final investigation result when he spoke.
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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