People Power Party chair Jang says the DMZ explosion was "a clear provocation by North Korea" two days after the blasts
Jang Dong-hyeokChair of the People Power Party, the main opposition party, at a press conference
At a press conference on September 23, 2026, two days after the blasts and before the Joint Chiefs or the UN Command had reported findings, People Power Party chair Jang Dong-hyeok said the explosion was "not merely an accident but a clear provocation by North Korea." The Korea Herald reported that he suspected North Korean-made wooden-box mines could be behind it and that he said the investigation into whether the mines came from North Korea and whether they had drifted or been deliberately planted would not take long.
“This was not merely an accident but a clear provocation by North Korea, so our response must therefore be meant to address provocation, not an accident.”
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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
Korea Herald report of September 23, 2026 on a press conference by People Power Party chair Jang Dong-hyeok. The report covers several political topics; the passage on the DMZ explosion is in its final paragraphs.
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About this source
Korea JoongAng Daily report of September 28, 2026 on Kang Shin-chul's remarks to reporters after meeting party leaders, including his statement that the type of mine could not yet be stated with certainty, and on a Joint Chiefs official's account of differing witness descriptions. JoongAng states that its English text is translated from Korean with generative AI tools and edited by a native English speaker.
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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
The Joint Chiefs had said on September 21 that they had not determined the cause of the blasts, including whether a mine was involved. The joint on-site investigation with the UN Command had not begun.
After the quotation
On September 28, meeting Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, Jang said, in JoongAng's rendering, "If the DMZ mine explosion was caused by a mine newly planted by North Korea, that would constitute a clear act of aggression and cannot be overlooked." The Korea Herald reported that he said the explosions "cannot be tolerated" if the cause was found to be a North Korean-made land mine.
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. Jang said the explosion was "a clear provocation by North Korea," which attributes it to North Korea and criticizes it, so we labeled it Condemned. He said this before any investigation result, at a time when the Korea Herald described North Korean wooden-box mines as his suspicion.
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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