Kwon Dae-won is a lieutenant general in the South Korean Army and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second-ranking position on the body that commands the Republic of Korea armed forces.
Case
Seoul's military says North Korean mines likely caused two September 21 DMZ blasts that wounded three soldiers. North Korea calls the findings groundless. The UN Command said it identified an active North Korean mine south of the line but named no side.
Role at the time: Vice chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaking 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.
“If the final investigation confirms that this was inflicted by land mines laid by North Korean forces, it constitutes a clear attack in which our soldiers, who were lawfully performing DMZ operations south of the MDL, were injured by North Korean mines and consequently, accountability rests entirely with North Korea”
The case asks whether North Korean forces planted the mines. Kwon said the evidence made North Korean mines highly likely the cause, but he tied North Korea's accountability to the final investigation confirming that North Korean forces laid them. Because the attribution depends on an express, unresolved condition, we labeled it Mixed or conditional rather than Condemned.
Statement dates: September 28, 2026
Statement dates: September 28, 2026
Statement dates: September 28, 2026
