South Korean military detonates suspected North Korean mine found on Ganghwa Island

South Korea’s military detonated a suspected North Korean land mine found near a beach on Ganghwa Island on October 8, according to the Marine Corps. A worker spotted the object at about 3:30 p.m. on the western border island, and an explosive ordnance disposal team was sent to deal with it. The military reported no injuries or property damage between its discovery and detonation. The find matters to residents and visitors because mines have repeatedly appeared along the island’s coast this year.

The Marine Corps told Yonhap News Agency that the object was presumed to be an antipersonnel mine washed ashore from North Korea. That describes the military’s assessment; the reporting does not establish an independently verified origin for this particular object. The disposal team came from the Marine Corps’ 2nd Division, which has also been involved in searches for hazardous objects along the coast.

Earlier mine finds on Ganghwa Island

The October discovery follows a series of finds during the summer. Yonhap, citing the military, said 17 mines, including wooden-box and antipersonnel mines, were discovered in succession during July and August. It said the previous mine found on Ganghwa Island was discovered on August 15. Those figures give the latest incident a recent local precedent, although the report does not specify how many other objects may still be present along the shoreline.

An earlier, independently reported account gives a closer view of how authorities encountered some of the objects. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that 12 mines had been found across Ganghwa County from July 24 through August 6. Its tally covered an earlier period than the July–August figure cited by Yonhap, so the two numbers should not be read as counts for the same dates. The available accounts do not provide a full reconciliation of the totals.

Why authorities are searching the coastline

Ganghwa Island lies northwest of Incheon near the Han River estuary and is among the islands closest to the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas, according to Yonhap. Heavy rain can wash mines from the North into South Korean territory, the agency reported. Ganghwa County and military authorities believed the earlier summer finds had been dislodged by heavy rain in North Korea and carried toward the island by ocean currents, Korea JoongAng Daily reported. That remains an attributed explanation for those discoveries, rather than a confirmed route for each mine.

The recurring finds have led to precautions in places used by civilians. Korea JoongAng Daily reported in August that the Marine Corps’ 2nd Division had begun searching Ganghwa Island and nearby western islands for stray mines and other hazardous objects. The reported plan included day and night searches at ports, harbors, beaches and other coastal areas, including locations open to the public. At that time, Ganghwa County had put warning banners at 42 coastal tourist sites and ports and was broadcasting safety messages through village public-address systems.

After the October 8 detonation, the Marine Corps said it was continuing searches and preventive activity so local residents could use the coastline safely. It urged residents and visitors to report suspicious objects to police or the military. A Ganghwa County official had given similar advice during the summer discoveries, asking people not to approach or touch anything suspicious and to report it immediately.