Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok says the DMZ explosion "has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines" south of the MDL
Kim Min-seokLeader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the governing party, speaking at a party Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly
At a Democratic Party Supreme Council meeting on September 30, 2026, party leader Kim Min-seok said the DMZ explosion "has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines" south of the Military Demarcation Line. SBS reported that he also condemned what he called North Korea's violation of the Armistice Agreement, said North Korea must apologize, and urged the military to take countermeasures.
“The DMZ explosion has been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line.”
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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
SBS News English-edition report of September 30, 2026 on Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok's remarks at a party Supreme Council meeting. SBS notes that its English text is machine-translated and may contain errors, so the wording is SBS's rendering of Kim's Korean remarks.
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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.
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About this source
Korea Herald report of September 28, 2026 on a briefing that National Defense Committee members received at the DMZ and on the leaders of the two main parties' meetings with Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul.
Before the quotation
Kim spoke on the day the Joint Chiefs, the UN Command and Kim Yo Jong issued their statements. On September 28, meeting Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, he had called for a "thorough and transparent" investigation, according to the Korea Herald. SBS notes that its English text is machine-translated and may contain errors.
After the quotation
According to SBS, Kim said he criticized even more strongly North Korean authorities' denial, which he described as a claim that the incident was staged. He also said the government should review its overall response to North Korea's border fortification measures, a policy question outside this case. Reuters reported that he urged Pyongyang to apologize.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether North Korean forces planted the mines. Kim said the explosion had been revealed to be caused by North Korea planting landmines south of the MDL and, in remarks SBS reported alongside, condemned an armistice violation and demanded an apology. That accepts the attribution as established and criticizes the conduct, so we labeled it Condemned. The wording is SBS's English rendering.
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More from this case
Read the full caseKim 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
UN Command says it "determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred" and identified an active North Korean mine south of the MDL
United Nations Command
“During the investigation, the team identified an active Democratic People's Republic of Korea anti-personnel mine on the ROK side of the Military Demarcation Line ... Based on the findings of the investigation, UNC determined that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred. UNC is addressing the violation through established Armistice mechanisms”Read statement