Kang Hyun-woo
Role at the time: Chief 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
Response to this claim
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”
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.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used 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.