South Korean military, UN Command launch investigation into DMZ explosion
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Three South Korean soldiers were injured by an explosion on Sept 21 while clearing a patrol route in the Demilitarised Zone.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- South Korea's military and the United Nations Command have launched a joint investigation into a landmine explosion near the Demilitarised Zone on Sept 21 that injured three South Korean soldiers.
- The investigative team of about 40 officials is searching the blast area to verify the cause and will publicly disclose the findings amid calls for transparency regarding the mine's origin.
- Mine explosions are common hazards in the DMZ, with North Korea reportedly resuming fortification work including mine-laying and fence construction near the border since March.
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SEOUL – South Korea's military and the United Nations Command launched a joint investigation into a landmine explosion near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sept 27.
The probe comes as opposition lawmakers called for transparency about the origins of the device.
The investigative team of about 40 officials searched an area near the site where the blast happened on Sept 21, the South Korean military said.
It will verify the cause of the explosion through further searches and publicly disclose the outcome, as opposition lawmakers called for transparency amid suspicions that the device may have originated from North Korea.
Three South Korean soldiers were injured by an explosion on Sept 21 while clearing a patrol route in the western sector of the DMZ, a heavily fortified area bordering North Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the explosion was caused by a landmine.
Mine explosions and other blasts are a recurring hazard in and around the DMZ, where legacy devices and suspected stray mines have periodically injured military personnel on both sides.
North Korean forces resumed fortification work near the border in March, including mine-laying and fence construction, South Korean media reports said. REUTERS