In a statement issued by Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea appealed for Pyongyang to apologize and penalize those responsible for the explosion.
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United Nations forces on Monday said North Korea was behind the landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries.
South Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea after a mine blast injures two South Korean soldiers patrolling the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. It condemned what it called violations of the armistice that ended fighting in the war, which still technically continues because the participants have never signed a peace treaty. Whether this attack will change the tenor of those exercises, or North Korea tries to sabotage them, remains to be seen. Resuming a propaganda operation suspended for over a decade must have needed approval by the Blue House, so speculation has arisen that President Park Geun-hye is determined to sternly deal with the blasts.
Investigators believe the mines were planted between July 22-when the gate was last used-and the day of the attack, the first of its kind in 48 years, South Korean officials say.
South Korean Brigadier General Ahn Young-Ho said 43 pieces of the exploded landmines had been recovered from the scene and analysed.
“Our military has decided to resume propaganda broadcasting using loudspeakers along the border”, a defence ministry spokesman said.
The southern state also promised that North Korea will “pay a harsh price” for its provocation.
Hammond said Britain condemns North Korea for the land mine explosions that injured two South Korean soldiers inside the South Korea side of the DMZ, Sky News reported.
The alleged attack came amid heightened tensions over a possible missile launch by the North and joint military drills by the United States and South Korea.
“When we have the psychological warfare – the leaflets or the loudspeakers – basically the message is: the current leader is doing a very bad job, that their human rights are being violated, and that there’s a much better world outside that they should be aware of”, said Lee, an associate professor of global relations at Yonsei University in Seoul. It ruled out that they were old land mines that had drifted from their original placements because of rain or shifting soil.
A video clip of the mines exploding is expected to further worsen anti-North sentiment among South Koreans and lessen the chance of improving thawed ties soon.
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Some analysts suggested it was a pre-emptive attempt to raise tensions before a major South Korea-US military exercise scheduled to begin next week.
