South Korean prime minister urges continued demand for apology over DMZ mine blast

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said on 7 October that Seoul should keep demanding an apology from North Korea over a 21 September land mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers. Her remarks follow a South Korean military finding that blamed mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line on North Korea. Pyongyang denies involvement.

Han made the call at a meeting with reporters marking her 100th day in office, according to Yonhap News Agency. She said there should be procedures to pursue and obtain an apology. Her reported remarks did not set out a new measure, deadline or diplomatic process; they reaffirmed the demand after the military published its final findings.

What South Korea’s mine investigation found

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff presented its final findings on 5 October. It said investigators had conducted a joint field inquiry with the United Nations Command from 26 to 29 September and received forensic results on 2 October. The findings concern an operation on 21 September in which three soldiers were wounded, two seriously. Yonhap reported that a lieutenant colonel lost an ankle in the explosion.

The Joint Chiefs said GPS checks placed two blast sites and another mine found during the inquiry roughly 10 metres south of the Military Demarcation Line. It described the location as an armistice violation. The briefing also said investigators found a further mine near the blast sites during their final field visit. These are the South Korean military’s reported findings, which North Korea disputes.

The Joint Chiefs said the United Nations Command assessed that the newly found mine had been deliberately placed within the preceding 12 months. South Korean investigators judged it unlikely that mines had simply washed into the area. The briefing attributed those conclusions to the field investigation and forensic work; it did not report an admission by North Korea.

The apology demand and North Korea’s response

The military had already called on North Korea to apologize to the wounded soldiers and remove mines it said were planted south of the line. Han’s remarks added the prime minister’s public support for continuing that demand. Yonhap quoted her as saying that, because South Korea had concluded North Korea was responsible, procedures were needed to keep demanding an apology and receive one.

North Korea has rejected the accusation. Yonhap reported that Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accused Seoul of fabricating its findings and warned of ‘merciless’ retaliation if the South took corresponding action. The opposing accounts leave responsibility publicly disputed, even as South Korea says its investigation is complete.

The latest remarks follow South Korea’s earlier call for an apology after the soldiers were injured. Since that report, the Joint Chiefs has issued its final finding and said it removed a minefield near the blast site. The earlier account is available in NewsJaws’ coverage of the initial apology demand.

Mine removal and what remains unresolved

The Joint Chiefs said the South Korean military removed a minefield south of the Military Demarcation Line near the blast site on 5 October. It said future removals would follow if North Korea did not remove mines there voluntarily, and that it would coordinate with the United Nations Command to reduce the risk of accidental clashes. That stated plan does not establish that further removal operations have taken place.

The military’s 5 October briefing said two seriously injured soldiers and one with a slight injury remained in hospital at that time. Han said she had first sought information about the injured personnel and their surgery, while the defense ministry and National Security Office were responsible for the response. Neither her reported remarks nor the military briefing establishes that North Korea has apologized or that a new process for seeking an apology has begun.